Motivation

Winning the Weekend War

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:47:19 -0400

Weekends are evil for boxers and their training plans. Actually they are evil for anyone trying to control what they eat and train. While they are just like any other day of the week, there is something mystical about a weekend that has us all partying hard Friday night, sleeping in late on Saturday only to repeat the cycle again Saturday night and Sunday morning. It's a vicious war and the casualties are our training and nutrition.

The Weekend War

The one bright spot, is that on occasion, you have a fight one of those nights which keeps you focused, but if you're not following the weekly routine on the weekend, you're going to end up cheating on your meal plan, skipping the gym, and overindulging in food, alcohol, and whatever else may be within reach.

So how do you mitigate the damage, while still ensuring you have a little fun in the process?

First, you have to embrace a:

Change of Perception...

View your week as a whole 7 days, not 5 days and a weekend and then condition yourself to believe what you are telling yourself. This is a lot harder than it sounds, because everything in North America is programmed around the weekday and the weekend. Work schedules, special events, fights, etc...

Once you've got the right mindset, you have a chance at the following recommendations, if you can't change your mindset, these aren't going to work and you're going to continue finding yourself on track during the week, and derailing the train every weekend.

1. Work the weekend into your routine.

When you plan your routine, Saturday and Sunday are just two more days and they are absolutely no different than Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. In fact, they are probably better for training, because you likely don't have the same demands on your time that you do the other days of the week. It's up to you, if you don't like to train on Saturday and Sunday, and would rather sleep all day than hit the gym, then make them your rest days...it's your call, just make sure it is a deliberate decision and not one that sneaks up on you Saturday morning. Notice how the 12 week program encompasses Saturday and Sunday - it is not a five day work week.

2. Be Accountable.

Find a workout partner, or at least someone who can ask you Monday if you blew the weekend or not. Just knowing that you are going to be interrogated for all your evil sins, can be enough of a motivator to get out of bed and go to the gym. Of course, you have to respect the person you pick to hold you accountable, you have to actually care what they think of your response, otherwise there's no guilt and thus no consequence for not following through with your plan. Maybe you need a "biggest loser" type of program where a personal trainer is constantly on your ass making sure you're on track.

3. It's not All or Nothing.

Training and eating properly every hour, every single day of the year for the rest of your life is not going to happen. But don't think that just because you've missed a workout or cheated on a meal, it's all over and you are doomed to carry around that belly fat for the rest of your life. The key is to stop the cheating or inactivity as soon as you can and then get back at it. Consistency is what wins fitness contests, fights, and produces excellent physiques.

4. Carry a water bottle with you.

Likely you are going to be out and about on Saturday and Sunday. Carrying water with you will keep you drinking it and if you don't know it, water is essential for losing weight and ensuring your body is operating at peak efficiency. Yes, I know you're more likely to be carrying a beer bottle than a water bottle, but don't forget about the water - OK?

5. Eat your veggies.

You could be at a party, dinner, whatever, when the veggie platter comes around, scoop it up and eat like there is no tomorrow. The more you fill up on the veggies, the less you're going to fill up on that roast beef and gravy or giant bowl of dessert. You can never go wrong with veggies as long as they are veggies and not deep fried, fat coated morcels that might have been a vegetable at some time in its existence.

6. Plan for the munchies.

Boredom, inactivity, and having way too much time to yourself are all diet busters. When you have nothing else to do, you eat -- and why not? It tastes good. So go ahead and eat, but plan for these times and have vegetables cut up, fruit in the fridge, or your other favorite, healthy, snacks so when the munchies hit, you grab the good stuff rather than the bad.

7. Empty your cupboards.

If nothing else sinks in, ensure this does -- do not have junk food in your cupboard. If it's there, it's going to be gone by Monday. It takes a whole lot more effort to walk down to the corner store to get something than it does to tear open a bag of chips calling you from the cupboard.

8. Use Your Brain and take your time When Eating Out.

Pick something semi-decent off the menu and don't supersize it cause you're cheap and looking for the best deal. You don't need the extra food - waste of calories and money. Don't rush it either -- eat half the burger and then wait a bit. It takes about 20 minutes for your body to signal that you're full. If you spread the meal out -- talk to the person you're with -not only will it be a more enjoyable evening for you both, but you'll eat less/do less damage as well.

9. Moderate the alcohol intake.

Yes, it's hard to pass up a beer or drink, but alcohol is the antichrist when it comes to your routine. You drink too much, get drunk, and what happens? You're hung over the next day. So not only do you cause some bad damage in your body in terms of taking in tonnes of dense calories, and putting your liver on overdrive, but you also miss your next day's workout cause you feel too sick to move. Even if you puke it all out, your body is pissed at you and takes time to recover. Drink if you want, just nurse those drinks so you have less to fat to fix in the morning.

No matter what happens this weekend or the next or the next, the biggest thing to remember is to forget about feeling guilty. Just pick up from where you left off.

It's no different than running the 100m dash. You know where the finish line is, it's just up to you how quick you get there. The Olympic runner is going to get there fast cause they aren't cheating and they are training hard but that's their decision. You'll still get to the finish line eventually (unless you turn completely around and run the other way) even if you mess up a bit along the way.

Don't Stop

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:46:57 -0400

Have you had one small success today? Perhaps, getting out of bed has been the pinnacle of your day. Well, build on that. That one small thing is the beginning of the downhill roll. Take that small success and strive for another and another. Once you get the momentum going, those small successes will turn into bigger successes until you are moving so fast that nothing can hold you back.

If you woke up today and have experienced nothing but frustration and heartache, then keep going. Look for that one thing that has gone right and move in that direction. Take a look at what you did right to achieve that success then change your behaviour to match.

Above, all, don't stop. The only possible way you can lose is if you give up. If you choose to continue fighting, you will win. It is black and white, a choice you have to make. If you settle for what you have now, that is your choice. If you are not content, it is up to you to strive for something better.

The fight is never easy. Sometimes you will be completely exhausted trying to achieve what you want. When you are spent, stop, and rest. Recharge and prepare for the next round. Then, get up and continue fighting. As long as you never quit, you will always be moving forward.

You are in this world to make a difference - we all are in our own way. It's up to you to fight your way to glory, and once you achieve it, you will experience a level of joy, contentment, and fulfillment that if you had given up, would never know.

The Secret to Life and Training

admin — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:36:19 -0400

"Persistence without focus is a train on a circular track. Focus without persistence is a stationary train on a straight track. Focus with persistence is a high speed locomotive that doesn't need a track."

I'm going to ask you a question and I need you to come up with an answer to illustrate something important. If you're truthful with your answer, you might learn something about where you currently are in your life. Here it comes...

Why do you train?

Now, look at your response and put yourself into one of the following groups:

Group A - Your answer included an action and a time limit. Examples include specific responses such as:

To lose 10 pounds in 3 months
To gain 10 pounds in 1 month
To decrease your bodyfat percentage by 3% over 6 weeks
To win a fight that is scheduled in 6 weeks

Group B - Your answer was general and lacked either an action or a time limit or both. Examples include general statements such as:

To get in better shape
To lose weight
To gain weight
To learn boxing skills
I don't know - but I know I train for some reason

Is it Better to Be in Group A or B?

If you've ready any self-help books, I bet you put yourself in Group A because every self-proclaimed self-help guru tells you you need to define a goal and a time limit for achieving it. If you haven't been brainwashed, then you probably just know what the result is you want and will find yourself in Group B.

Actually, neither is perfect on its own.

If you're in Group A you know what you want - you have focus and the time limit you placed on yourself acts as the catalyst or motivation to go merrily on your way to achieving that focus. So you're off and running, but are you running a curved path or a straight one? You may initially be aimed at your destination, but the problem is that you could expend an unbelievable amount of effort getting there. You run the risk of having your train run out of fuel and quit after missing deadline after deadline or failing to stop at the refuelling checkpoints along the way.

If you're in Group B, you seem to know what you want - you have an idea, but you don't really. You see something through the fog, but you haven't really seen it and there really is no real urgency to get it. Because you haven't told yourself how long you have to get there, chances are you aren't doing anything to move your train to that location. You are the stationary train waiting for some magical force to get moving. You continue to dream of that ideal, and will start moving when the stars align. Problem is, that getting an object moving takes a heck of a lot of energy and tomorrow never comes.

In reality, it doesn't matter if you're in Group A or Group B, because both groups of aren't getting anywhere fast.

Where you really need to be is in Group C.

It's like driving a car from New York to Los Angeles in 4 days. You know where you're going and how long it is going to take you to get there. Everything else that happens in the span of that 4 days will either help you get to Los Angeles or stop you from getting to Los Angeles. Even with this focus, you are not getting to Los Angeles without something called...

Persistence
Photo by Art.com

Persistence.

You could get a flat tire, get into an accident, or somehow get sidetracked, effectively losing your focus. However when you have persistence, it doesn't matter what happens, you will eventually get to Los Angeles, even if you miss the deadline, even if you have to walk or crawl -- your focus is never lost. Nothing is going to stop you from getting to Los Angeles.

That end result, your ultimate focus, is non-negotiable - you have to end up in Los Angeles. You have the ideal situation in mind - 4 days time, but even if that 4 days comes and goes, failing to meet that deadline does not negate the fact that you need to get to Los Angeles.

So what do you do? When day 4 comes around, do you quit and sit down on the side of the road - or do you keep going? If all you have is focus and no persistence, you sit down and start wishing you could end up in Los Angeles rather than taking the necessary action to get there.

Blah, blah, blah...what does all this have to do with boxing training?

There is nothing that takes more persistence than becoming the best boxer you can be. Every aspect of your life has to be focused on the prize and only you can define what that prize is. It could be to win your next fight, or lose 10 lbs, or to perfect your jab. It doesn't matter, but what does matter is the single minded focus and persistence to drive towards that focus at all cost.

I have a lot of ideas, completely unrelated to boxing that most people would consider crazy and stupid -- but as far as I am concerned, not one of them is unachievable. No matter how crazy or stupid or completely impossible something seems, I have learned that it isn't if you know what you want (focus) and will spend all of your time and energy moving in as straight a line as possible towards that focus (persistence).

So, this time when you ask yourself the question:

Why do you Train?

Commit to the persistence.

Action Steps

So, in order to put together a rock solid training plan that is going to incorporate both focus and persistence, do the following:

Focus on one thing (that's why it is called focus...). This goes for everything., but with training decide what the focus of your training is for the upcoming timeframe you set. You can only divide your time and energy up so much before everything grinds to a halt. Believe me, when you have more than one thing going on, the result is that everything starts to slow down. It is far better to focus on one thing and finish it to the highest standard possible and then start something else. Multitasking, as it's called, has been shown to be highly inefficient. It's like shooting a rifle and aiming at multiple targets at the same time - you won't hit anything.

Plan and Revise. Do not start moving towards your goal without a plan, but at the same time, start moving. Huh? Take the first step today - it is usually easily identifiable. For instance, if you want to learn to box, then buy this complete boxing training program (my shameless plug) and do Day 1 tomorrow (or even today if you have enough time). Then revise your plan as you go. You may start off on a curved track, but if you're moving, it is easier to make turns than to wait until the perfect time to start moving -- because that perfect time never, ever comes.

Measure Your Progress. Persistence is the result of motivation and motivation breeds persistence. Use the progress reports on How to Box to measure your progress and to see when you're moving towards your focus. You have to take off the blindfold and have some way of knowing when you do something right. If you follow a plan that makes you add weight when you are trying to lose it, but don't see that it is happening, you don't even know that your train is going in reverse.

That's all there is to it. See what you want and don't let anything stop you from getting there. Sounds like fluff, but once you grasp this concept, you are going to achieve great things, not only in boxing, but in the rest of your life as well. So, tell me - why do you train?

Fit vs Fat - The Obesity Epidemic in Perspective

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:46:02 -0500

I don't know about you, but I for one, am sick and tired of hearing about the obesity epidemic - if people want to get fat, then let them get fat, unhealthy and die. It's natural selection at its best. Those of us that give a damn about ourselves shouldn't have to put up with all the whining and complaining and increased taxes and premiums these selfish SOBs are going to cause us when they start having their McDonald's induced heart attacks and insurance covered stomach stapling procedures.

It seems you can't turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or walk down the street without hearing about the obesity epidemic that is going to kill more people than the plague. Second only to smoking, obesity is the new killer that seems to have come out of nowhere and suddenly everyone is fat and our health care system is not equipped to deal with the complications of the added load (pun intended).

Do You Not Agree With Me?

Is there really an
obesity epidemic?
Picture from Weight.com

Before I get flamed by a million fat advocates, let's consider for a second a few opinions that are floating around out there:

Why Fit People Think Fat People are Fat

1. Get real - the biggest reason is laziness. Fat people are just too damn lazy to drag themselves to a gym or go for a run. The only effort they expend is waddling down the stairs, plopping on the couch and lifting their flabby arms to their mouths to stuff a month's supply of bonbons down range - more than most of us will eat in a lifetime. After all, we've all seen the before and after pictures of thousands of people who have put in the hard work - if they can do it, why can't Bob.

2. If it isn't laziness - then it's lack of will. Fat people have no mind, no possible way of keeping their mouth shut and their plump little fingers out of the cookie jar. Hell, once you're fat, you turn into one of those zombies from the night of the living dead and constantly have to feed. It's like the fat replaces your brain. They know it's bad for them to eat yet another helping of pudding, but they do it anyways, cause the little fat army they have accumulated is taking over their mind.

3. It it isn't lack of will, then it's low self esteem. Fat people are losers and they know it. They'd kill themselves if it wasn't for the fact that they can't drag their sorry butts off the sofa, so next best thing is to eat themselves to death. That way the insurance will still pay. At very least they'll feel good while they are putting away that pound of Rocky Road - feeding those little fat cells struggling to multiply.

4. If it isn't low self esteem, then it's because society accepts it. Everyone's fat, we're all getting fatter, so it must be okay. Skinny people are the devil spawn - how dare they take care of the bodies God gave them. Fat people are the new world order and the fatter you get, the higher up on the pecking order you'll be. Fat is sexy, fat is okay. Just be happy with your bodies no matter how much flab is hanging off your gut. Society says its good to be you - enjoy life and screw the consequences.

Why Fat People Think They are Fat

1. It's all in the genes. They have no control over it. They woke up one day and broke the friggin scale because the mysterious fat gene suddenly kicked in and turned off their metabolism. No matter how much exercise or diet control they muster, it doesn't matter because that little fat gene is manufacturing more fat in a day than they could ever lose in a year.

2. Because society and big business is against them. How can you possibly resist stopping in at each and every McDonald's on the way home or grabbing a coffee and doughnut at each and every doughnut shop you pass. If we weren't supposed to eat that crap, society wouldn't have put it in front of our faces. Who can resist the advertising - brainwashing us all the time to grab a Whopper at 3 am.

3. Because they don't have the time or money. Yet they can spend more than small countries make on fast food and Doritos. They think it takes 2 hours a day to exercise and another 15 to prepare healthy meals. If they could fight their way out from under their diet soda, they'd see it just ain't so.

Why I think Fat People are Fat and the Obesity Epidemic is Picking up Steam...

In reality, it isn't any of those things by itself. Ross Enamait hit the nail on the head recently saying obese isn't always lazy. Sometimes it comes down to misinformation and priorities. People don't know how easy it really is to lose weight and get in shape. All of the hype and weight loss diets and technical crap floating around does nothing but confuse people and result in fitness paralysis. So, it is up to those of us that know better to clue the obese in.

Second, people do not put enough priority on maintaining their health and staying in shape. They take it for granted. They feel healthy enough and the changes that occur over time to render them unhealthy with clogged arteries and 100lbs of extra weight straining their skeletal system - happen so gradually as to go unnoticed. One can never really say they don't notice the extra weight and reduced energy, but comparatively, it isn't until someone they haven't seen in a while says something or they see an old picture that they suddenly realize they are putting on weight.

This boils down to priority. In a busy life with kids and a job and a million other activities, the thing that gets put on the back burner is our health. We all think that it would be selfish to set aside an hour a day for exercise if it means cutting back on an hour we could have spent taking our kids to some activity or putting in that little extra effort at work.

Well, let me clue you in. There will always be extra work or activity that will trump your exercise time, if you don't make it a priority. Lump exercise right up there with things you have to do so you don't get fired or have your kids taken away and suddenly there is time to do it.

Quite frankly, it is selfish to not exercise and eat right. You are taking away enhanced productivity from your boss, taking away energy and vitality and life from your kids, and you are disrespecting your spouse by letting it all go. As if this wasn't enough incentive to set better priorities, look to God. He gave you the temple you live in and by abusing it, you are violating his trust.

You are hopefully learning about the benefits and techniques to use boxing as a means to keeping in shape and not becoming one of the statistics. If you are, you have a duty to clue in as many fat people as you can find. Befriend them and pull them into your boxing club. Get them started on a better lifestyle and change their lives.

Do I really believe what I put at the beginning of this article? In part, yes, it makes me mad to think people will abuse themselves all their lives and then expect the rest of us to pay for it. On the other hand, I realize that people are unique and everyone has a situation and circumstances. I don't ignore those facts, but I also believe anyone and everyone can do something about their circumstances -- it is just about a wilingness to act.

So, take it upon yourself to introduce everyone you know to the benefits of boxing. Become an ambassador for the sport and show people the good it can do in their lives. Without ambassadors, boxing is doomed to decline. With people like yourself promoting it, it will thrive forever.

From Weakling to Warrior

admin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:03:57 -0500

So, I walked into a boxing gym. It was exactly as I had imagined - dim lighting, ring in the middle, assorted bags hanging from exposed rafters, smelling of sweat and leather. Bewildered, nervous, and fighting feelings to flee, I looked for the manager while trying to avoid eye contact with the monsters in there smashing their fists against whatever they could.

I was thinking the whole time "Don't look them directly in the eye", as if the other boxers were rabid dogs waiting to tear me apart. I could almost feel them looking at me and saying to one another "more fresh meat."

Because that's what fighters do. Every person is a potential opponent. You enter their territory and their first thoughts rank you as a potential threat. I guarantee I did not even make a blip on their threat radars, with the level of confidence I had walking into that place.

The Lion's Den
Photo by Miserable Moo

Eventually I found the manager who was with the head trainer. Unbelievably, they both looked like they were right out of a Rocky movie. Every stereotype and idea I had about boxing gyms was coming true right in front of my eyes. Next thing you know, I'd be in the ring, and then carried out on a stretcher.

Up to this point, I had been in one fight in my life and it didn't go good for me. So, to walk into this gym felt like walking unarmed into a den of lions. To say I was unprepared for what was about to happen is an understatement.

I feebly explained to the manager that I wanted to learn how to box. He had seen it all before, took my $30, and threw me a couple of handwraps which he eventually showed me how to put on after I spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what the hell to do with them.

Like it or not, a lot of boxing gyms have pecking orders. It was particularly obvious in this gym. Trainers will train people they think they can develop into champions and until you prove yourself, you are nothing. Like neglected children, you will fight for time and attention or fade into the background.

And then I joined the class...

People were civil, but there was tension. It was undeniable and obvious that all eyes were on me as I went through the motions. All those rabid dogs were looking for mistakes, weakness, strengths. They knew at some point, they would be standing across from me in the ring -- and anticipated the inevitable moment when they would devour me.

Incredibly, they got their chance a lot sooner than expected. That same day in fact, the trainer strapped boxing gloves on me for the first time in my life and put me in the ring against a seasoned boxer. To say I didn't know what I was doing is generous. I had no clue how to defend myself.

I didn't last a round and any confidence I had that I wanted to learn boxing was knocked completely out of me. Bleeding and sore, I climbed out of the ring after the trainer put an end to the sparring session.

I was pissed off, angry and resentful. What the hell was he thinking putting me in the ring that first day. I came there to learn, not to fight... and that's about the time I realized what had happened.

Wait a Minute...

I walked into that gym, that den of fighters, with the intentions of learning and training, but I had no intention of fighting. I did not walk into that gym as a warrior. I walked in submissive and defeated long before I ever got in the ring. He could have put me up against Pee Wee Herman and the outcome would have been the same. For the first time in my life, I felt that warrior spirit. The instinct to flee was gone. It was replaced by self directed anger and an intense desire to get back in the ring and actually fight - to prove myself to this man who arbitrarily decides who is going to make it and who isn't.

I stayed in that gym for three hours after the end of that first session and watched the trainer with the "chosen" boxers, showing them techniques and drills. They were the accepted boxers. The ones who had a shot. I stood next to the ring in plain view staring him down, daring him to say something, daring him to invite me back into the ring.

It never happened. The adrenaline eventually subsided and I went home, but the next time I walked into that gym, the story starts differently. I walked in sizing up the other boxers. I longed for eye contact. I longed for the chance to get across from someone - anyone. Win or Lose. I walked into that gym with intentions of fighting, not just to train and learn.

That trainer took a scared kid with no focus and in one session gave him the desire to become a warrior. I will be forever thankful for that.

What to Do When Cheating Leads to Guilt

admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:44:39 -0500

Did you honestly think you could stick to your training plan or eat perfectly 100% of the time?

My Situation...

I'm currently sitting in a hotel as I write this. I started a new macrocycle just over three weeks ago and have diligently followed my meal plan for the same period of time. However, I am now in this hotel for a week on business. I have no access to cooking facilities or food preparation. I have a very limited fitness facility. I have to attend social functions and eat in restaurants and pubs. How hard do you think it is going to be for me to stick to my meal plan and training program?

Training wise, I have modified my program to suit what I have available - resistance bands I brought with me and the equipment the hotel does have. Although full boxing workouts are going to be on hold until I get back, I know I am going to be able to continue training.

Guilt: Serves You Right
Picture by Rob!

Food is a different beast. I am at the whim of what I can cobble together off a menu in the local pub - or else starve to death. Starving does bad things to the metabolism and will actually hurt my progress, so I attempt to eat as healthy as I can - but only three times a day vs the six times I'm used to. Meetings, activities, and lack of ability to prep foods are preventing the other three. I admit it, I've cheated on my program. Tonight I had a big juicy burger and fries. Burgers and fries are not on my meal plan.

Lessons Identified...

Now, if you're like me, you've now found yourself in a position where you've cheated and are feeling a little guilty. Especially if you made a serious committment to yourself to follow through with your training. You probably feel like you've let yourself, and maybe others down. That you aren't good enough, strong enough, dedicated enough, or committed enough to succeed. If only you had been a little more prepared and motivated to plan for the unexpected. The guilt is gnawing away at you bit by bit and tempts you to quit altogether or rationalizes cheating some more.

Honestly ask yourself if you are okay with missing that training or eating that piece of cake? If you are, I'd question the level of committment you made in starting your training in the firstplace, or you've mastered your guilt. If you aren't, what you are feeling is normal - that feeling of letting yourself down. How you use these feelings in the next few minutes is going to seriously alter your future training gains.

Guilt will affect you in one of two ways:

Guilt will give you a reason to quit. This is extremely dangerous. If you catch yourself thinking like this you need to immediately get on How to Box and look at your progress reports (hopefully you've been doing them , or visualize how far you have come in such a short period of time. Remember back to the day when you couldn't figure out how to wrap your hands or throw a proper jab; remember when you couldn't last more than thirty seconds on the heavy bag or hold your hands up for an entire round. And now, visualize where you are. See the progress you have made and realize that it doesn't matter if you cheated. You may have spent 21 days getting to where you are - one missed workout or piece of cake is not going to put you back to day one. It doesn't work like that. You didn't just wake up one day fat and overweight, so don't trick yourself into thinking you are doomed to failure. In the long term, as long as you are "in the right" 51% of the time, you are going to succeed. 90% will make you succeed even faster...

Guilt will give you a reason to succeed. This is extremely advantageous. Capitalize on your feelings of anger and resentment towards yourself. Channel it into your training and do it as soon as you can - like right now. If you find yourself angry at yourself for cheating, you can use that to fuel an even more intense desire to train harder and push yourself to never cheat again. Hold on to these thoughts and embed them, so the next time you are tempted you can recall this memory and relive it. To do this, you have to remember every detail of how you are feeling now and burn it into your mind. Now think of a codeword and associate your feelings with that codeword. If you do this right, the next time you are in a situation where you are tempted to break your training plan or eat something not on your mealplan - just think the codeword. If the association is strong enough, your mind will play back the feelings and make you relive your guilt. This could be enough to stop you from making the same mistake.

Time to Learn the Lesson now Identified...

One thing you have to realize is that nobody sticks to their training plan and meal plans 100% of the time. Everyone is guilty at one time or another of cheating. I believe this is true, even of the top competitors in every field. However, those people who cheat less are the same people who become champions in their chosen area of competition. Those who cheat and let the guilt consume them until they quit continue to live their mediocre lives.

You have no reason to feel guilty for cheating. If you have been training hard and following your meal plans, then consider the cheating a reward for all the hard work you have done. Congratulate yourself and let yourself enjoy your predicament -- experience it and then move on. Just remember a reward is only a reward if it is given following a period of hard training. If you cheat everyday, you've fallen completely off track and need to reassess your situation.

I'm not going to tell you to stop feeling guilty because it isn't something normal people can control. If you could, you'd be a sociopath. But when the conditions are right, and you do cheat, use the guilt to your advantage and rejoice in it. You've earned it.

Why You Will Quit and I Won't

admin — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 17:17:36 -0400

It's going to happen. It's going to happen and it's going to keep happening. Inevitably it will rise up and slam you straight in the face without warning. One day all will be good and the next day you will crumple into a whimpering, drooling heap in the corner. Despite your best intentions, one day, if it hasn't happened already, you are going to wake up and discover yourself making every excuse possible not to train. You will turn on yourself. It may be happening to you right now.

You will think about the road ahead, your life, and panic will set in. The thoughts of everything you have to do: the work, the training, the nutrition, the learning, trying to fit sleep in there somewhere. Boxing is probably not the only thing in your life. You have relationships, classes, school, interests and hobbies. Your kids are being neglected. Your wife or girlfriend complains you are putting them second. You feel broke and broken -- you think of it all coming straight at you and you will be overwhelmed by the flurry of activity in your life. This is when you will realize that quitting is an option. Not only is it an option, but it would feel so good to just forget about everything. No one is forcing you to train. You can simplify your life and make it easier. No one is forcing you to live clean and no one is watching what you put in your mouth. No one forces you to come to this website and follow these training programs. So why put yourself through the torture day in and day out? Just quit. Give up.

Photo by odegaard

Yes, please do quit, because that will make my life easier. That will be one less person I have to compete with on a day to day basis. That will be one less person in my mind who I have to visualize running faster, hitting harder, slipping quicker than I am. That will be one less round I have to put in to ensure I maintain the edge. That will be one less pushup I have to do to rise to the top, one less situp to prepare the body for one less punch.

And that doesn't even begin to detail how easy you will make it for me to succeed out of the ring. Giving up now will set in motion a pattern that will haunt you the rest of your life, in all aspects of your life. You will see that every decision you make, no matter how good your intentions are, will result in failure. Giving up once sets a precedent, it makes history, and history repeats itself. Quitting will get easy. It will become second nature. So go ahead, quit, stay down and let someone who really wants to win, win. Get out of the way and make life easier for someone else.

Quitting is a choice. It is black and white. There is no gray. You can pretend to cloud every issue with as much crap as you want to avoid making that choice, but in the end, it is one vs the other. Every decision is a choice. You either put the cake in your mouth or you don't. You either go the gym or you don't. You either train hard or you don't. There is nothing inbetween.

So what? What are you supposed to do when this happens?

Just do it - Do something. Get up right now. Stop reading this article and go and do something, no matter how small that deals with what you want to achieve. It is a baby step and it will lead to more. Break the inertia and the motion will be hard to stop.

Visualize it. Take 1 minute and see where you want to be. Don't just see it, live it and feel it. Go through it in your head. See yourself fat free in the mirror, feeling the satisfaction of knowing you are in incredible shape.

Immerse yourself in your goal. Watch a boxing match and visualize where you want to be. Surround yourself with people who want the same thing and will push you. DO NOT ASSOCIATE with people who will sabotage your progress. Rid yourself of the garbage in your life.

Learn. There is absolutely no reason you cannot begin where you left off or even start over if you have to. Your worst opponent is yourself. Overcome him/her and you will overcome everyone else.

What do you do when it gets tough? When things aren't rosy and easy? Are you one of the 90% who stands aside and lets someone else do it? Or are you one of the 10% that picks yourself up and hits back? Please tell me, I'm dying to know.

Motivation

admin — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:27:11 -0500

Once you see the mistake

Perhaps you made a mistake, and perhaps it was a serious one, but that mistake is now history. Even though you might be paying its price for some time to come, the mistake itself is over. For as soon as you realize you've made a mistake, it goes from being a negative to a positive influence.

Once you see it was a mistake, you've already begun to correct it and to find ways that you can become stronger because of it.

Mistakes can be costly, and yet the good thing is that the more you pay for a mistake, the more positive value you'll get from it. Mistakes, though they are rarely ever sought, end up being excellent investments once they're understood.

Usually, mistakes are at their most destructive stage when you have not yet recognized them as mistakes. Don't be afraid to see your mistakes, because as soon as you realize something is a mistake you can begin to transcend it.

Mistakes can continue to set you back or they can begin to move you forward. It all depends on when you see them and recognize them for what they are.

Have the courage to admit your mistakes, see and understand them, and you'll transform them from mistakes into valuable knowledge.

Today's motivation brought to you from Global Health and Fitness.