2023 Summer strength training results are in for stage 1 and 2 athletes. I am very excited about these athletes and their progress. Starting, the athletes had a great attitude and worked hard every time we trained. They were curious and asked why we were using a training method, I encourage it. To me, this helps with their buy-in, not just going through the motions. To help, I also explain why and how it translated to the sport movement. The calendar was set …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 40
66. Don’t go into debt for racing or training – Go back and read tips 3 and 13. Bonus. Learn to have Fun – Every moment, we can choose to live in Joy and misery. We all know life is not perfect, we have good days and bad days. If you get off track, get back on as soon as possible. Go back and look at your thankful list, tips 8. If you have kids, this is a good read… The Perfect Moment by Andy Andrews. If you are not happy with where you are, you have the power to …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 31
50. Warm-Up – This is critical to your success. Regardless of the activity, you need a warm-up routine. The routine should last anywhere from 10-15 minutes. 51. Cool Down - Just as important as the warm-up, the cool-down should take 5-10 minutes. 52. Stretching – Over the years the debate has been going back-in-forth about stretching, does it decrease injury? Should I or shouldn’t I Stretch? In my option, yes you should. However, don’t look at it as injury prevention but …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 30
49. Don’t use earbuds when training – For one, if you riding a bike, it’s just not safe. You cannot hear what is going on around you. Second, this helps you learn to listen to your body so you know how your body reacts to the training. Last, we all need some time away from mental direction; this will allow you to clear your head. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 28
46. Don’t train on a full stomach - After eating, a regular meal, wait two hours before starting an intense training session. The last thing you want is a belly full of undigested food. 47. Short workout only requires water – Don’t be fooled by marketing. Any endurance workout less than an hour only requires water. You can replenish your glycogen with real food and electrolytes with some salt. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 27
Only thirteen days left. I pray these tips have been a blessing. In this next section, my primary focus will be on training. 43. Don’t start to fast - When beginning a new workout regiment everyone is so gung-ho and tends to do more than they should. Start slow and work up the volume and intensity. This will limit injuries and lower your rate of burnout. 44. No Pain, No Gain is a joke – we live in a society that thinks that if you’re not dead at the end of a workout …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 26
41. Don’t view working out as a cure-all for losing weight – depending on where you are currently, with your health, you may need to delay a work-out program. 42. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) can cause sugar cravings – HIIT is all the craze now, what most people don’t understand is that HIIT can cause you to overeat after your work-out. How, due to glycogen depletion. HIIT, because of the nature of the workout, your body requires sugar to make energy. To …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 25
39. When you slip up, with your weight management program, don’t beat yourself up - Start again on the very next meal. Remember it’s it not a death sentence. 40. Struggling with your weight management program, in some ways, it’s not your fault – The food industry's goal is to convince you to buy their foods. Their deceptive marketing programs are presented in a way that fools you into believing their product is healthy. So be aware when you mess up and fix it quickly. The longer you …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 24
38. Journal – At the beginning of your weight loss program, this short term process will have a long-term effect. It will help you identify patterns quickly, the good news is you don’t have to do this long term unless you want to. Points of focus: current weight, how you feel physically and emotionally, what you eat, what time you eat, issues that cause you to go off the rails (triggers tips 31 & 31), liquids consumed (water, coffee, soda, tea, anything you drink). It …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 23
37. Cold turkey is not for everyone – When starting a weight loss program, there are several camps, one of which is the cold turkey method. Often the keto camp can go this way. However, because we are all different and have different levels of metabolic issues, the cold turkey method may not be the best approach. Consult with someone that can help identify your situation. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 22
33. Let your body use its own energy source – Your most robust source for energy is body FAT. One pound of FAT = 3500 calories, so the key is to use that FAT for energy. How? 34. Start the day with foods that have limited carbohydrates – After sleeping your body is already in a FAT burning state. By limiting carbs, this will allow you to maximize that state. 35. Avoid snacking – I know what you're saying now, “I will starve to death”, no you won’t. By limiting your carb intake, …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 21
32. Be honest with yourself - You know there’s an issue when you can’t imagine your life without junk food. Junk food is no different than other addictive substances, they will all kill you. Go back to tip 18. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 20
We have reached the halfway point of 66 tips in 40 days, I pray you have learned something new or have been inspired to make some needed changes to your life. If you have any questions or need some help please send me an email. Just click below. 30. Identify your triggers – Triggers can be classified as anything that causes you to crave unhealthy food. Triggers can range from something as big as an unhealthy relationship, work environment, the places you stop after work or …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 19
29. Limit negative environments that are not helping you reach your weight loss goals – Read Tip 16 and Tip 28. These two tips are keys to helping you move forward. Day 20 we will discuss triggers. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 18
28. Emotional eating - If this is a problem, find a way to cope with the negative emotions that are driving these eating habits. Tip 16, find a support system that you can trust for emotional help. You can also, spend some time in prayer until the urge subsides, you can go for a walk, run, or workout. Dopamine (the feel-good hormone), is released when you eat. What happened is, instead of dealing with the issue at hand, people eat and get the dopamine hit thus …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 17
Bad Fats 26. Oils to avoid – In addition to knowing the different names for sugar it’s also vitally important to know what oils are damaging to your health. Like I mentioned, in Fighting the Covid “19” Part 2, these toxic oils have no good reason to be consumed. Image from Fatburn Fix, Dr. Cate Shanahan, M.D. Good Fats 27. Good Oils – On the other hand, you also need to know the oils that will allow your body to function at it's very best. Image …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 16
25. Avoid artificial sweeteners - These are several reasons to avoid the pink, yellow, and blue package. For one, they have been linked to cancer and neurological issues. Also, they don’t help reduce your sugar cravings, they still initiate an insulin response, and they harm your gut microbiome. The bottom line, they do not help you at all to have a healthier metabolic system. There are two options to help you transition away from both Sugar and Artificial sweeteners, Monk Fruit and Stevia. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 15
24. 56 names for sugar – When learning to read labels it’s good to be familiar with how sugar is disguised. In my post, Fighting the Covid “19” Part 2, I pointed out the importance of avoiding sugar to optimize your health. Also, there is a link that lists the 56 names of sugar. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 14
19. What you eat determines if you lose or gain weight. 20. Learn how to cook – When you cook your food, you don’t have to guess what is in it. 21. Shop on the outside of the grocery store – What’s on the outside of the grocery store? Mostly fresh items. 22. Limit packaged foods – Look, for the most part, packaged foods are full of empty unhealthy ingredients 23. Lean the read labels – If you’re going to buy a packaged food, you need to know what is in it. If you can’t pronounce …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 13
We have concluded the Basics portion of these tips, now we will pivot to Health and keys to weight management. 18. Know your blood biomarkers - This is a great place to start. Focus on three areas of concern. One, resting insulin (Optimal 7.0 or lower). Two, Resting Glucose (Optimal 85 or lower). Three, A1C (Optimal 5.4 or lower). And Triglyceride levels (Optimal 150 or lower). As a society, we judge ourselves based on what we look like but by knowing these important markets you can see …
Roll the Dice Home Workout
Per my Facebook post earlier today, below is my Roll the Dice 30-minute workout from today. The key is to just keep moving, take as much rest as you need between exercises and sets. Always check with your doctor before attempting any workout program. Round 1 Mountain Climbers can be 30 total or 30 per leg. Round 2 Lunges can be walking to single leg Round 3 Calf Raises, do 15 right leg, 15 left leg and 15 both together. Round 4 Water Break take 1 …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 12
17. You don’t need all the best stuff to get better or in shape– To be honest, it’s an excuse to justify why we’re not doing what needs to be done. How I know, because I’ve used them all. Here are a few… I need a gym membership to get in shape. I need a $1,500 pair of race wheels to go faster. I don’t have the right cookware. I don’t, fill in the blank________. The reality is, just start where you are, it’s better to do something rather than nothing. If you need some ideas go back and …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 11
16. Find a mentor / Join a community / Have an Accountability Partner – If you want to have success with your health, wellness, training, or anything you need a guide to help you navigate the journey. Why is this necessary? Have you heard of Mirror neurons? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica… “Mirror neuron, type of sensory-motor cell located in the brain that is activated when an individual performs an action or observes another individual performing the same action. Thus, …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 10
Limit news and social media to reduce undue stress – It is almost impossible to not know what is going on these days. However, you can only control, what you can control. To start on the right path each day, don’t look at your phone or watch TV first thing in the morning… move your phone away for your nightstand. Instead, start with something positive in your day, reading, prayer, etc. Ultimately, our trust needs to be in the LORD. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 9
14. “I’m so busy” – Have you ever said anything that sounds like this? Truth is, you have to slow down to be healthy, you can not keep up a frenetic pace and expect positive results to your health and well being. Even God tells us to take one in seven to rest. Rest allows your body, mind, and spirit to clear out. …
We help frustrated individuals and aspiring athletes, confused about what to do and stuck, by identifying their needs and developing a hand-crafted plan for success.