Celebration!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMIE & GLORIA!

Admire & Inspire

Team,


I admire your honesty & am inspired by your effort.  We may very well have found a key to a lock this evening.  Find strength in each other and keep going.  


(Kokoro Camp is upon us-let's see what that key unlocks.)

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity."

Determined individuals. Inspired team. Victory.

-Strength & Honor-

Evolution 2

Team,

Week 2 is moving away fast in the rear-view mirror and we all appear to be holding steady.  Remember to appreciate the moment when you're in it, when you're sweating it out, when you're "fighting the bad feeling."  Those moments are where we earn it.  Each day of training is a step beyond the previous and tonight's effort was all that and more!  I'm starting to see individuals hitting their stride and push themselves, when only 1 week ago it was me doing the pushing.  This is the turning of the page.  This is discovering the self-motivation that will trump self-doubt.  The programming this week will lead to noticeable progress.  Stay on the attack.  Your mindset should be void of surviving and full of conquering.  Everyone's effort tonight was impressive and the total volume of work you all put in was amazing!  I said I was excited about the possibilities this week would bring about, but after tonight, I'm even more optimistic.

News Flash!

Team,


It is being reported that Vivian was the winner at tonight's weigh-in! It has also been reported that our team had two runner-ups and that they were Beth and Dawn!  Finally, video evidence has surfaced that indicates our team gave at least 100% maximum effort per individual.  I'd like to extend a major "congrats" to Vivian!, Beth!, Dawn! and the rest of the team!  I'd also like to extend a bonus of 25 burpees on behalf of your effort [that makes 50 burpees earned to date]. Keep up the great work! You are earning it!

Week 2

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrow, it empties today of it's strength."


I need each of you to stay focused in the moment.  The past is behind us and the only impact we can have on the future is what we do today.  Seize the day, each and every day.

Evolution 1

Team,

Week 1 is almost in the books and you are all standing tall!  Congrats.  To reflect, you've completed 3 days of intense circuit training, competed in a grueling fitness challenge, and completed a Kokoro Camp.  You have all displayed a great degree of heart and courage as you dove headlong into the unknown.  I sincerely hope that each of you has begun to realize that you each have so much more potential than you ever thought and are now discovering how to unlock it.  The mental toughness that you have forged along the way will serve you well.  Now, with only one day remaining, take what you have learned about yourself this week and attack your team challenge tomorrow with a warrior spirit.  Use the physical attributes you have begun to refine and the mental strength you have started to sharpen to find victory. Most importantly, function more as a team than as individuals and victory will find you.

Kokoro Camp

Team,

Kokoro Camp is coming!  The word "Kokoro" has a literal translation of "heart," but it also has shades of meanings that can be translated as "the heart of things" or "feeling."  Tonight's test will be a test of your heart and soul.  A test of your very core, designed to make you realize that the "newly developing" you has so much more to give than you could possibly imagine.  From here out, each Friday will be a Kokoro Camp.  I encourage each of you to embrace the experience, as the strength and confidence you will gain will propel you to bigger and greater things in life.

Critical Information (MUST READ)!

 Team,

This week has certainly been a dive into the deep end and it's good to see everyone still has their head above water!  That said, throughout the week I have addressed a number of issues.  One of the most common issues has been pre-workout nutrition.  As I've mentioned before, Dr. Dozie is our nutrition expert and you will have opportunities to inquire in more detail about such topics.  But, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of improper pre-workout nutrition, so I thought I would provide you with some brief, but detailed information that should clear up any misconceptions regarding what to eat before a workout and when to eat it.  To simplify the process, I've attached a link to a web-article that addresses this topic in a very easy to understand format.  I highly recommend..., REQUIRE, each of you to spend five minutes to read through it.  As we push forward over the next few weeks, it will be critical for you to up your intensity.  What fuel you select and when you use it will be paramount to your ability to perform at peak levels.  

"Keep your head up and chin down!"

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportsnutrition/a/EatForExercise.htm

Fitness Challenges

Team,

I am sorry I wasn't there to see everyone through to the end, but from what I witnessed at the start, you all seem to have a competitive spirit that drives you.  Fitness Challenges are designed to enable you to channel that spirit so that you can push yourself beyond your perceived limits.  Competition has that effect on many people, myself included.  I also was privy to a lot of teamwork and support, of which I am a big advocate.  Each week only one person will win the prize, but you should all consider yourself winners for finishing and giving it everything.

The Spartans had a creed that was documented in a movie called "300" and it serves me well to generate a competitive focus and intensity..., "Spartans never retreat, Spartans never surrender!"

"THE MAN"

Congrats to Tim!  Week 1 Fitness Challenge Winner! 

Breakfast Cereal Choices

Team,

In response to last night's discussion around breakfast cereal choices and the guidance I provided around ingredient preference, I have provided a WebMD listing of top choices.  Their goal was to balance taste with nutrition and their rationale is paraphrased below.  The link for the entire article is:  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/choosing-healthy-breakfast-cereal

After some taste testing and input from acquaintances, WebMD came up with eight picks for the best-tasting healthful breakfast cereals. The cereals on their list had to have a whole grain as the first ingredient and 5 grams of fiber per serving. Sugar had to be around 25% calories from sugar or less, unless dried fruit was among the top three ingredients. They also tried to choose cereals that are easily found in the supermarket.

1. Post Grape-Nuts Trail Mix Crunch: 5 grams fiber, and 22% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole grain wheat, malted barley, and sugar, followed by raisins and wheat bran.
2. Fiber One Bran Cereal: 14 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar. First three ingredients are whole-grain wheat bran, corn bran, and cornstarch. This cereal only appeals to some people. They would suggest enhancing the flavor with cinnamon, fresh or dried fruit, and/or roasted nuts.
3. Fiber One Honey Clusters: 13 grams fiber, 15% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, corn bran, and wheat bran.
4. Quaker Oatmeal Squares: 5 grams fiber, 19% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, whole-wheat flour, and brown sugar.
5. Shredded wheat: 6 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar (for a generic brand). The only ingredient is 100% whole grain cereal. They enjoy this with added fresh or dried fruit and nuts. If you opt for the frosted variety, it has 6 grams fiber and gets 23% of its calories from sugar.
6. Frosted Mini Wheats: 6 grams fiber, 24% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup.
7. Raisin Bran: 7 grams fiber, 40% calories from sugar (in Kellogg's brand). The first three ingredients are whole wheat, raisins, and wheat bran). Sugar is listed fourth in the ingredient list, but many of the calories from sugar come from the raisins.
8. Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal: 5 grams fiber, 18% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, oat bran, and evaporated cane juice. This is a higher-fiber alternative to Cheerios. I think they taste better, too. But that may be because there is more sweetener added (the evaporated cane juice).

Sports Psychology

Team,

Achieving your physical goals can be greatly impacted by your state of mind.  It may not be enough to simply show up at the gym.  If your mind isn't right, you may not achieve your true potential.  Sports psychology offers some great tools that can be used to enhance your performance in and out of the gym. Please take some time to view the video below.  At this early stage of the contest, some of the techniques mentioned, such as focusing on the process and not just the end result or goal, could be instrumental in helping each of you navigate the everyday pressures you may experience. Visualization is another key technique.  Being able to visualize or imagine your workout, your effort, or your result in advance of it's actual occurrence can actually help program your mind to be  prepared when the event is at hand.  Physical challenges will always present you with mental hurdles and the aforementioned techniques can help you successfully manage the situation.

Day 2

"NIGHT FURY" CRUSHED IT TONIGHT!
(Long live the Burpee!)


Superman was in the house, Bonnie was busting a move, and the team pushed through "the bad feeling" like a horde of angry Vikings!

Beginner Burpees!

Team,

I have posted a YouTube link that details a beginner Burpee.  Please view the video as we will be discussing and performing it this evening.  It will become a core movement from which we will develop some team-based competition.  It's a fantastic and versatile movement that you will all master!

Day 1

Day 1 is in the books!  Fantastic effort from all on my team.  I think we all know where the "edge" is and some even peeked over.  Teamwork and encouragement was stellar tonight and we'll need more of it as we move through the week and walk along that ledge.  Day 2 will be upon us soon and back "down the rabbit hole we'll go," so get rested and re-focus.  Make sure that you leave it all out there and give nothing less than 100%, as each of you deserves nothing less than that.  You all have more physical ability than you think, but you have to have the mental willingness to take yourselves there and back.  Today was tough, but tomorrow is when we start to earn it.

Orientation

Awesome effort from everyone at this afternoon's orientation!  I saw some great teamwork and encouragement, which will be instrumental during the workouts.  My team needs to gear up and bring their "A" game tomorrow!  Let's come out of the gate strong!

Very stoked for the contest to begin! We have a fantastic group of contestants that are ready to compete!