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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...

It is each of ours job to impart skills that are basic to every area of life. 

Collectively these actions can be referred to as 'self care.' 

Their aim is simple: do the thing we know to be necessary to stay healthy and able for as long as possible. 

The skills necessary we have been doing since birth. They are sleeping, eating, and moving. 

Never mind being 'good' at these things. The times we live in allow us to be utterly atrocious at one or all of them and still live a...

The pleasure that comes with getting what you want is often fleeting. You dream about getting a raise, achieving the body composition you want, or nailing that new PR. 

You work at all waking hours. You imagine how happy you would be if you just achieved that goal. 

Then you succeed. And if you're lucky you get an hour, maybe a day of euphoria. Especially if your success was a surprise. Think award shows: "the envelope please..."

Most of the time though you don't get any euphoria. When...

This is Rick. 

When him and I met he would tell you he was an athlete.

He chose multiple races to participate in each year and prioritized some as practice whereas other were the more serious competitions that he tried his hardest at.

His annual exercise schedule was designed to get him ready for those one or two bicycle events each year. The goal was to 'peak' his cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance systems to produce the best possible effort on the day of the race. This practice is...

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. 

- N. Klein, (not Gandhi) 

First your friends will ignore your measurement and improved food choices. Your organization around what you're eating and when seems obsessive to them. They anticipate it to be a fad you will fall off. Because that's what most diets are for most people. 

When you continue your actions of measuring and being prepared you will become the target of ridicule....

When should I eat?

There are 5 things to consider about when you should eat 

1. Frequency - How many meals per day are you eating? This can range from zero to 9 or more. You can see how fasting and grazing are represented throughout that range. 
   
   
2. Spacing - How much time between meals and are you evenly or irregularly spaced? Take for example someone who eats breakfast and dinner at the same time every day but some days he eats multiple times between and others he doesn’t eat at...

Writing, and thinking, and learning are the same process. 

I've wanted to publish my writing somewhere other than social media for quite a while. I've held off for fear of the unknown. I read a book about blogging and decided it would be the perfect avenue to do what I'm trying to do. 

Early on I committed to anobscene number in my head: 1000 blog posts. I thought they would be best written with the check ins I tend to in my business as a fitness and nutrition coach. There we always...