"But Larry...!"

What is it that makes some people successful while others keep chasing it wondering why achieving the things they want in life are always beyond their reach?

It's not talent.

It's not genius.

Give up?

It's diligence.

People that are successful focus on tasks and do them with "diligence".

Here's the Wikipedia definition.

"Diligence is a zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness. Putting forth full concentration in one's work."

If you have obstacles, you might never even get in the game. Here's a common challenge I have heard consistently over the years and it's this:

"But Larry, I don't have the time."

There are some people that literally don't have the time, but most people are simply wasting time. In essence, they value other things. Let me ask you a simple question. Do you ever watch TV at night? Millions do, and why not, there are some very good shows on television. But it could be costing you big time. (And if it's not TV, it could be the internet, video games, etc.)

But isn't watching TV really a reward for all the hard work you do all day? You really do deserve to kick back, grab the remote (if it's available) and lose yourself in a good movie, catch up on your soaps, a sporting event, a cooking show, or learn "What Not To Wear"!

Look, I'm not against TV. But, I am against TV if you watch it for two hours a night and you tell me you have no free time. Even one hour a night is a is costing you, as you could be exercising.

"But Larry, I'm also too tired at night to workout".

I feel for you, I really do. I know it's hard being you. Many of you have challenging careers, take care of kids, take care of parents, own a business, run a home, coach a team, and the list goes on and on. I understand completely, but I'll tell you this.

SO WHAT? That's right, so what?

Everybody has challenges that make them tired at the end of the day. But here's something you may not realize. Everybody has everything in their lives that they value most from the clothes they wear to the cars they drive. If it's a "high value" item, good, or service, you've got it. By "high value" I don't mean high-priced. I mean on a scale of one to ten, the things you value are closer to ten. So if working out at night is not for you, then make sure you go to bed earlier so you can get up earlier, AND WORKOUT!

Yes, this change will be hard and you won't like it, but do it anyway because the benefits outweigh the discomfort. In time, you'll be glad you toughed it out as you'll have more energy and you'll lose weight. And once you make getting up early and exercising a habit, you'll be hard pressed to let it go.

People that are fit may not be wealthy and yet they may make sacrifices to belong to a gym, hire a personal trainer, or come to boot camp.

Why is that?

Because they value their health and they care about the way they look. Well, the way they look naked anyway. (However, some of us do need to watch "What Not To Wear") Quite simply, exercise and nutrition is a higher value priority in some peoples lives.

Now I realize I might be ruffling a few feathers here, but some of you need to know this. If you are struggling with your weight, month after month, year after year, the problem is most likely in the choices you make which is driven by the way you think about the choices you make. A good place to begin is to change the way you think about exercise and nutrition.

"But Larry, I don't like to exercise."

I understand. Exercise is hard work and since you were born a princess, you really should be excused from performing hard work. After all, isn't that what skilled labor is for? Perhap you could hire someone to lift your weights, perform your cardio, and eat correctly for you! (did you catch the sarcasm?)

Before I go on let's make sure you do not have any health related issues. Sometimes people struggle for years and never realize they have an underactive thyroid for example. You might want to consider seeing a medical doctor.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let's assume you are healthy, and you are still struggling for much too long. Nutrition is so often the missing link. Every time you eat something ask yourself this question. Am I bored, upset, just hungry, or am I eating to boost my metabolism and improve my health? Eating is an opportunity to do something healthy, or not. If you are eating extra food for "extra" reasons, you are most likely eating too many calories.

A little planning can go a long way.

When you go to bed at night, do you think about the next day and factor in your exercise routine? Do you have a contingency plan? How do you feel about yourself if you miss a workout? How do you feel about planning your meals? Does it all seem too overwhelming? How often do you find yourself skipping breakfast? How often do you find yourself picking up dinner at Quiznos or Panera Bread? Ouch, I bet I hit a nerve there.

Well, once again you are right on the money. This actually is very challenging.

The fact of the matter, the crux of the biscuit, the very bottom line is this... People that are successful at anything are successful because they are willing to do what other people won't do. They want the end result bad enough that they are willing to change their lives (drum roll please) AND STILL BE UNCOMFORTABLE. (see make sacrifices)

They will skip watching TV (or watch a lot less)
They plan their meals, meetings, work, play, etc.
They exercise daily and factor it in to the day.
They want something bad enough and make sacrifices and stop making excuses.
They write down what they want to achieve.
They educate themselves about whatever it is they want to achieve.
AND THEY LOVE BOOT CAMP! - Sorry, I couldn't resist :-)

No, I can't sugar coat this for you. This is simple, but it's not easy. Most people that travel down the road of health and fitness wander aimlessly. I am just a guide with a map. "Come follow me, I'll show you the way."

I absolutely love it when someone comes along and just gets it. They know that they want to be lean and fit, so they hire me as their coach. They follow the plan they lose fat in record time. Sure it makes me look good as a fitness professional, but truth be told, they deserve all the credit and they are the one's who look great!

Successful people:

Know what they want.
Take action.
Follow through with diligence.
Don't quit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's start at the beginning. In order to improve your body composition, you need to exercise and eat right. Unfortunately that's just too much of an over simplification. Exercise and eating right means something different to everybody. So I'll do my best to make this easy for you.

I've got two options for boot camp that are both also great deals. You get more value than you pay for. But if you actually follow my plan and incorporate some of these success formula traits at the same time, the results could be worth 1000 times your financial investment.

What you "Value Most" will always determine your decision.

I came to value health and helping people so much that I changed my life and my career to do what makes me happy. Try to imagine what motivated me. I'll tell you this, it wasn't inspiration, it was desperation, massive doses of it too. There were literally dozens of reasons why I needed to change my life. It didn't happen over night. It's been a seven year journey since I had the first thought when I connected with my passion for fitness.

Decide what you want to change in your life and go for it.

Don't worry about getting it perfect, just get it going!

Chunk It!

Hi All!

We had beautiful weather on Sunday and a great first hike for this Coaching Group. Other than Chimney Rock Road being closed which caused Emily to run late, it was truly a perfect day. Linda, we missed you!

I spoke for a few moments in the parking lot about what "coaching" is and how I hope to help you grow. I'm a good speaker, but I'm a much better writer, so here's a more complete description on the topic.

If there's one thing I've learned in life it's that we all face challenges that seem difficult. It's this perception that either prevents us from starting, finishing, or not doing well. It doesn't matter what the challenge is, it just seems like we are in over our heads, or maybe it's just very unappealing and makes us uncomfortable.

I have discovered a technique that pretty much works every time. If you follow this advice, you will not only become more productive, you will accomplish things that at one time seemed impossible. Want to know my secret?

CHUNK IT! That's just a simple way to remember to take a large project, or anything that seems like it's too big to manage and break it down into manageable chunks. Large projects become a series of smaller tasks that are "doable". In this way progress is made and you feel empowered. That's a great feeling. It's how we earn our self esteem and grow.

Take this coaching course for example. I've presented the material and I've explained that this first week was going to challenge you and that you might be uncomfortable. It's the process of being uncomfortable that helps us grow. We call it "leaving your comfort zone."

The three tasks I've presented to for this week are:

1.Posting your head shot to the Club site.
2.Take your measurements and sending them to me in an MS Word file.
3. Start or respond to a discussion on the site.

If you had to give yourself a grade, how did you do?
If "I" had to give you a grade, how did you do?

The point is some of you did and some of you didn't follow through. This message is for those of you who didn't follow through. These aren't difficult. They all require you to manage your time and focus on the task at hand. By not following through you become less involved in the process. It also shows me who will struggle with getting good results with the cleanse program and who won't.

My objective isn't to make your life more difficult, it's to teach you! If what you say is true,,,

"I am serious about changing my health"

"I am 100% committed to getting good results"

"I am coachable"

then you should have no problem following through on these tasks. Let's put these in a different context for a minute. Suppose you paid me $1000 cash for this coaching program. Would you be more inclined to get these tasks completed? You might, simply because of the perceived value.

For what it's worth, I'm coaching you as if you did pay for my time and I want each and everyone of you to get awesome results. But I can't do the work for you. All I can do is assess what I see. If I get your measurements, see your photo, and read your posts, I have something to work with.

If you don't think this is important enough for you to have to participate, then simply understand this. Your health and weight loss results may be directly proportional to the effort you put into this program.

Look, I know you are busy. We're ALL busy! That's no longer an excuse or a good reason. It simply means that you value other things. I apologize if I'm a bit in your face here, but some of you need to know this. The only reason a person doesn't have the time for something is because they are doing something else with that time. The question is are you being completely honest about how you use your time? If you are watching television at night, then that would be an example of valuing other things and not using your time well.

You ARE Amazing!

That's right, you are. I believe that each and every one of you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. In fact, you do it every day, day-in and day-out. But I want to help you be even more amazing and accomplish something that has eluded you for some time. I want to help you once and for all learn how to manage your weight.

So how does posting to a website help you manage your weight? It doesn't. But if you figure out that these tasks are designed to push you out of your comfort zone and get you to take action in an area that is uncomfortable, you will grow.

Exercise and diet are no different. The same reasons you haven't been successful is that depending on how much extra weight you are carrying, how unhappy you are with yourself is also directly proportional to the amount of time you invest in yourself. We all have to get to a point where we are unhappy and be honest with ourselves. No one else is responsible for us putting on extra weight. We got ourselves into this state of health and we can get ourselves out of this once we commit and do what it takes.

Another way to look at this is, "What simple tasks are you doing everyday to help you move towards your goals?" It's a matter of learning what to do and then do it without excuses. We're not talking about time consuming monumental tasks. For some it's about beginning each day with breakfast. Other simple tasks are: drinking water, planning a meal or two for the day, having our shakes and snacks at the appropriate times, NOT missing a meal is also an important task.

Now go back and post your head shot on the site if you haven't done so. Make sure you log onto the Club Clean and Lean site daily or even several times a day to find out what is going on. Please start a discussion and write, write, write! Grammar and spelling aren't being graded, just do the best you can. And please clear your schedule to come to the hikes on Sunday mornings.

It's now week two. Let's make some great progress.

Press on!
Larry Wasserman