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Your first priority should be you. If you don’t take care of yourself first you won’t be much use to anyone else. 

One way to get stuck is to get your priorities wrong. Getting them right is harder than it sounds. When I started personal training I worked with a bunch of people who were older than me. I was 20 ish and spent my days walking clients through exercise sessions. It doesn’t take many counted out loud sets for the conversation to shift to the person...

How is modern more stressful? 

Many modern stressors simply mimic danger whereas the responses we developed were to actual danger. That traffic jam is not as threatening as the pack of hungry predators. Your boss’s bad mood pales in comparison to the dangers of an unsheltered snow storm. Our modern situations seem stressful psychologically but they don’t present the same physical threat we have grown accustomed to. Today our stressors are small but constant. In the...

It seems like having to calculate your eating and moving will turn everything into a tiresome book keeping chore. Where does it leave spontaneity and its joyful abandon to the whim of the moment? Learning to watch our food and movement doesn't mean we need to turn into accountants who constantly weigh our decisions against an endless balance sheet. Actually, the opposite typically happens. It is true logging everything you eat may be hard and annoying. But once you get good at it there are...

It is hard to be content right now. When the mind is not occupied by a specific task, like a job or conversation, thoughts begin to wander in random circles. In this case “random” does not mean that there is an equal chance of having happy and sad thoughts. What happens instead is that the majority of thoughts that come to mind when we are not concentrating are likely to be depressing. There are two reasons for this.

First, the number of negative things to think about always...

Until the 1950's the word priority was mostly used singularly. It wasn't until the misguided belief that multi tasking is a good idea spread that priority turned into priorities (plural). Now we assume we need numerous priorities and multitasking is the way to get them done. Deven thought working this way deeply affects our productivity A study by Microsoft found that focusing on more than one priority at a time reduces productivity up to 40%. Hewlett Packard found the IQ of those interrupted...

Take control of your stress

It’s important you know how to manage your stress. Practicing stress management daily will help keep you healthy. 

The skill of de stressing

One of my favorite quotes is:

“Just when you feel you have no time to relax, know that this is the moment you most need to make time to relax.” Matt Haig

Most of us in North America have a mistaken view of relaxing. We think our 1 to 2 annual vacations are enough time to rest up from our...

Let’s make this discussion meaningful. 

Discussion deepens understanding and promotes problem solving when done properly. When done poorly it can fray nerves, foster animosity and leave issues unresolved. In our culture the most prevalent forms of discussion are talk shows on the radio and T.V. A lot of times they lead to the latter effects. 

Complex questions are asked by the host and encouraged to be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’...

You are not a fortune teller. That makes your meal planning a fantasy. There are too many factors that are out of your hands: your daily stress level, work demands, kids, family, weather, etc. Writing a plan makes you feel in control of things you can't control. 

How about we just call plans what they really are: guesses. Start referring to your meal plans as meal guesses. Your workout plans as workout guesses and your schedule plans as schedule guesses. Good, now you can stop worrying...

What are your fitness and nutrition goals? 

This question is asked by coaches all over the world. It seems like an easy one to answer. 

"I want to lose 30 pounds.....

Fit into my college jeans

Drop my cholesterol 

Bench press 300 pounds."

The options are endless. 

These types of goals can be referred to as 'outcome goals' and they can be harmful to your progress because they are mostly out of your control. They depend on a vast array of complex interactions you and I have...

Popular TV trainers communicate the idea telling people they suck is motivating. 

They are often seen on the look out for diet or exercise deviation, ready to pounce with a heavy dose of 'tough love.' 

In real life this shaming never works. Such extreme and cartoonish behavior as that which can be seen on shows like The Biggest Loser can be described as 'What's bad coaching.' They are always looking for the bad, not the good. 

I've seen this mentality practiced throughout my...