5 Ways to KEEP IT SIMPLE

     I’ve found in my life the best advice is typically of the short variety.  Not some long drawn out diatribe that circles back and forth and continues to make the same point.  Hence the title, “KEEP IT SIMPLE”.  The shorter the advice, the easier it is to remember and the more sense it will make.  Sometimes all you need is 3 words…let us begin.

     Whether we’re talking about training, life, work or trying to just find more time in your day, it’s always vital to “HAVE A PLAN”.  Layout what you want to do ahead of time to allow you the freedom to focus on just getting to the gym, or where you want to be in 2 years and establish some goals and start working.  That way you don’t sit there trying to think up something to do when you get to the gym or being the person looking back on missed opportunity.  Map out what you want to accomplish and maintain that laser focus throughout whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. 

     For those people that find it hard to make the time to train or get ahead in life or at work, “GET UP EARLY”.  This is one of the most common traits of highly successful people, rarely if ever do they sleep in.  Get up and get stuff done while the rest of the world is sleeping.  You’ll be amazed of the amount of productivity you can have before the sunrises.  Go for an early morning run or crank out that project before anyone else is awake in the house or at the office. 

     The number one reason for people feeling crappy in the morning is typically the lack of sleep, so “GET SOME SLEEP”.  Everyone should should try for 7-9 hours of sleep.  This is the most underutilized means of recovery that is out there.  You know those times your computer wants to shut itself down to complete a software update?  Think of your brain and body in the same way.  With out it being able to reboot itself every night it will be in a constant decline of performance from day to day.  And that over time will have massive diminishing returns on every aspect of your life, train, family, work.  It’s really easy now with apps for your cell phone that can monitor your sleep, they’re all simple to use and allow you a way to track something you’ve probably never thought of tracking.

     In life it isn’t necessary to always work smarter, most people that get ahead “JUST WORK HARDER”.  That being said, it doesn't mean you have to start putting 16 hour days in, though I’m sure some of you do already.  Been there done that.  But sometimes you have to roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty and break a sweat.  Maybe your struggling to get in better shape or get that promotion at work.  You already have the motivation, you're part of this family, now you just have to push a little harder.  Try running a little faster or longer or spend 30 extra minutes on a project at work.  Maybe get up early and do both...?  In the end I doubt you’ll look back and regret putting the effort in if the ends is worth it.

     Most importantly, “DONT FEAR FAILURE”.  I’m pretty confident that not one successful person has hit every project or idea out of the park.  Sometimes you have to strike out to hit a home run.  It’s in those moments of failure that you can take a step back, analyze what happened, what were the causes of the miss and get right back at the drawing board and go back out and crush it.  The people that refuse to get introspective during times of mistakes, losses or failures are the type of people that you don’t want to be around.  They’ll probably be super negative and complain a lot and that just sucks to be around.  There are plenty of people out there in this world who have been in your shoes before and have plenty of tips and guidance to give on how they were able to push through and achieve there goals.  Sounds like a great opportunity to ask for some help and gain a friend out of it.

Keep pushing yourself daily, no matter how big or small, because no one else is going to do it for you.  It’s on you.

“The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit.”

G

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“You can have results or excuses…not both.”

     “I don’t have enough time.”  How often have you heard that said?  Personally I hear that on a minimum of 10 times per week.  Sadly it’s not true.  What people mean to say is “I don’t have time for that.”  A 30 minute workout is roughly only 2% of your day, stop looking at it as a waste of time but as being the most important time of your day.  Be the master of your fate, show up and give it a shot, day after day.  It’s in all of us.

     Complaining about working out has no place in this world either.  If you’re doing something that you don’t enjoy, don’t stop working out, I repeat don’t stop working out, just find a different means of working out or add some variety to what you do.  There are plenty of things out there that you can try.  If you’re feeling like you have no motivation to work out you’ve set yourself up to lose that battle.  Your feelings want you to be safe, they certainly don’t want you to be successful or uncomfortable.  To have success sometimes you might have to do somethings that aren't as fun or as comfortable as the DVR and couch, but that’s just life.  Live it.

     Other people will complain about their kids and how “It’s hard to make it work.”  There are plenty of people out there that manage to juggle life around their training.  I’ve seen it numerous times, I’ve seen plenty of mothers over the past years make it work.  Your kids should be your biggest motivation to work out, not your biggest excuse.  Don’t burden your kids with being the old and broken parent that they have to take care of.  Be awesome for them…and for you.

     I’ve been honored in my life to be able to have some amazing workout partners during my journey.  But I’ve also had many months and years where it was just me rising and grinding solo day after day, week after week.  But music has been my friend in those hours of suffering.  Blow the dust off that old disc man and get after it.  People who train with each other typically meet at the gym or at the yoga studio or running club.  If you don’t have someone to train with it’s probably because you don’t have many friends that train.  Become the person who regularly trains and you will attract people into your life who also value the benefits of being healthy and fit.  Nothing worthwhile in this life comes free, you have to earn it.

     If you make that commitment to training and it becomes a part of who you are, just the thought of missing a workout can drive you crazy.  I herniated a disc in my back a couple years back.  And after a set back of me being hard headed and rushing back and pushing through the pain, I took the doctors and physical therapists and athletic trainers advice and focused on my rehab.  I dedicated my time to learning as much as I could about disc injuries, I read research, books, experimented with certain exercises and it gave me an outlet to get back to where I wanted to be.  Just because one part of your body is out of commission doesn’t mean the rest of your body can’t train, just be safe.  I don’t recommend training when your sick, but being sore or tired, that’s not good enough in my book.  Train smart.

     Don’t feel like you need a gym to achieve fitness success.  The world is your oyster.  There are plenty of websites out there where you can buy equipment for your house or even videos to watch that can teach you how to make a kettle bell or a suspension trainer.  You don’t need equipment to do burpees!  I watched a friend blast through his burpees today in knee high boots, jeans, a carhart jacket and a winter hat today, I’m just saying…Tim you're the man by the way!  If it’s important enough to you, you will find a way.

     All I can ask is that you don’t make the excuse of not knowing what to do or feeling intimidated by people that are fit.  Firstly, the internet has opened the world up to training tips, routines, etc.  If it’s on the internet it must be true (that’s a joke).  Showing up to the gym and starting is the most important part, you can learn a lot on the fly just by showing up.  You can ask questions along the way of people on technique, form, theory and practice.  It’s a journey, it doesn’t come instantly.  The more you show up to the gym the more comfortable the people and the place will seem.  Plus most fit people love to give advice and help people.

     Anyone has the ability to get in great shape.  Go be the person that the unfit are intimidated by and tell them all about your journey to how you got there.  Heck you might get a new training partner out of the deal.

G 

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The Right Mindset

     I hope this finds everyone well and I hope it finds everyone in the mists of the 30/30 Challenge that was laid out a few days ago.  If you don’t know about it, or forgot about it, or just haven’t started doing 30 reps or 30 minutes of an exercise daily for 30 days it’s ok.  That doesn’t make you a bad person, just start today after you read the blog.  

     Confidence, willpower, determination and perseverance are qualities that everyone wants to have.  However, most people feel that they are born with them or their not, and if their not born with them they just end up being stuck.  That’s not right though.  These qualities are within all of us and can be developed through our actions.  Hence the 30/30 Challenge.

     Research has shown that there are people out there that believe their abilities, intelligence, talents are all just fixed traits.  Whatever amount they have that’s it and they can't get anymore no matter what they do so they don't even try.  Then there is another group of people that understand that the talents and abilities that they currently possess can be further developed though effort, passion, patience, persistence (The 3 P’s BLOG) and good education.  They typically don’t believe that everyone is the same or that anyone can be Thomas Edison, but they have a strong belief that everyone…everyone can get smarter if they just work at it.  This is the fixed mindset vs the growing mindset continuum.

     Most of us have a blend of the two mindsets, in one area we might have the growing mindset and another a fixed mindset.  Take this for example, you might be a person who is very goal and growth oriented when it comes to your work.  You believe in your abilities, you know what you're worth and are constantly looking for ways to continue developing to be the best that you can be at work.  Then again, you might have a fixed mindset when it comes to your health and feel that the hand you were given is what you're stuck with and you believe you’ve never been the type of person who works out or never were athletic enough to go run or utilize the gym or everything you've tried before never worked.  Take a moment and think for yourself and see if you can think of areas where you might do either.

     I wanted to lay out the 30/30 challenge for all of us to do together even as we are spread across the globe, to show that we have the power to prove to ourselves in a small way that we can improve just by having a growing mindset and commiting to something.  If you’ve been committed so far, I’m sure that you’ve realized it’s becoming easier everyday, and each day is another small win (Shooting for 1% BLOG). If we get enough of those small wins over time our confidence will continue to grow and we’ll further develop our growing mindset. 

     

     Being around sports and gyms and training people from all walks of life I’ve watched this happen first hand.  I’ve worked with people who have never done any physical activity in their life and they’ll say that to me first thing.  They don’t see themselves as being a strong, fit, able bodied person and don’t believe they can ever be that.  But what happens next is awesome if they commit to themselves.  Workout after workout, rep after rep, pound after pound, their confidence grows, they believe they can grow, they see now that they control their health and longevity and can develop them with effort and hard work.  All of those little actions of showing up daily and putting the work in led them to developing a growth mindset.  It’s so rewarding to witness it first hand.

     Go out and start small, and prove to yourself that through all the little successes day after day after day that you have the ability and power to develop your confidence, willpower, determination and perseverance.  If you do that I promise you a growing mindset just by completing the 30/30 Challenge. And with that it'll lead you to develop it in other facets of your life.

     Now that you’re motivated, here are the next steps for you to stay motivated, pick an exercise/activity that is realistic for you, keep it simple.  Get a friend to join you for the 30 days, it’ll be fun, I currently have a group text message going with 3 friends that we all log our reps daily in, and bust chops as well.  It holds us accountable and will do the same.  Just pick something to do, it doesn’t need to be ridiculous, anything that makes your heart beat faster.  Make an effort to eat healthy and get a full night of sleep.  And most importantly have fun, you are not alone, we're all in it together.

Off to Tank Up and get my 30 burpees in!

G

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Shoot for 1%

     What could you do if you improved 1% a week?  If we were all able to stick to working on improving 1% per week could you imagine how amazing a life we all could have?  We’re not talking about 50, 25 or even 10% here, we’re talking about 1%.  If you do the math, it would take roughly 15 months to double our ability, capacity or performance in a given area or aspect of our life.  It’s not about focusing on the big things, it’s focusing on the small things that you decide on a daily basis.

     Everyone wants to make the dramatic change, that 50% change immediately.  Think about people and New Year’s resolutions, I know we’ve probably all been there.  That’s all good and well but typically there comes a point of being overwhelmed or stressed that most likely reverts us back to old habits.  That’s why, by making incremental improvements, it will allow all us to lay the foundation for big changes and huge impacts on our lives, work, training, etc.  There are always dozens of little things that we could do, that we typically won’t do for one reason or another.  Mostly we avoid these things because they are “small” things that we don't feel will have much of an impact. 

     Almost every habit that we have, either good or bad, is a result of many small decisions made over and over again.  Hence how it becomes a habit.  And most people will forget this when they are looking to make a change.  People tend to get caught up in believing the only way something is meaningful is if there is some visible and tangible outcome associated with it that others notice. Fact of the matter is thats just not true. 

     Meanwhile, that person that set out to improve by just 1% isn’t making noticeable changes that are obvious to everyone around them, they’re grinding it out daily, making those small adjustments week in and week out, and that is just as meaningful.  Especially in this long journey that we’re all on together.  It’s like making an deposit in the bank, the positive 1% changes you make week after week will compound over time, again and again.  And the longer you can keep making those deposits the more and more it will compound over time.  This life is a journey not a sprint.

     What happens if you make a mistake and slip-up and revert back to a bad habit or stop a good habit?  Nothing…as long as you get back on track.  Know at the beginning of your journey that these moments will happen, so be prepared for them and we’ll be able to get the train right back on the track and start chugging along again in the right direction.  People probably aren't a fan of thinking about failure or bumps in the road, but it’s those people that prepare and plan for those moments, that expect those moments, that are the ones that push that obstacle aside or climb right over it and get that train rolling again.  Prepare for the worst and you’ll be the one saying “It’s not that bad” as those around you are freaking out.

     Everyone loves to look at success as one single event as opposed to a journey of good habits and making the right choices over and over again, even when making those decisions are hard to do.  This is what makes all those small wins and steady gains so powerful to us.  It becomes infectious in a positive way.  And not just to us, but to those around us.  Maybe it’s a coworker who sees you bringing a healthy lunch now, or someone at the gym notices you get on a foam roller more consistently.  Whatever it may be people are watching, and though they might not realize it, they’re being influenced by you.  Change the world!  Or at least your little world and those surrounding you…

     Figure out what you’re looking to optimize in your life, wether it’s your daily nutrition, weekly training program, nightly sleeping habits, or productivity at work.  It starts with you, and it starts right now.  Set a goal, figure out a plan of how you’re going to achieve it, plan to fail (so you can get back up), and keep grinding it out until you make it to where you want to go.  Nothing in this life is worth it if it comes easy, so enjoy the small wins and have fun on this journey.  And remember to always, #TankUp!

"Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day."
—Jim Rohn

G

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Keep Calm and Tank Up

     …or as the British would say, Keep Calm and Carry On.  I’m sure that you have seen the posters that were created in 1939 as part of a campaign to raise the morale of their citizens following massive bombings.  Not everyone knows that they never actually used the slogan and it wasn’t until 2000 that the posters were rediscovered and the slogan began rapidly to be parodied.  So it was only fitting for The Tank Up Way to join the party.
   

     So while others are excited or afraid, we will be the ones that remain calm and steady.  Remember that it is our perception of events and life’s obstacles that don’t allow us to see things simply as they are.  So if we stay calm and see things straightforwardly as they actually are, neither good nor bad, this will be our biggest advantage.

     Where one person so easily loses control of their emotions, we can remain calm and steady. We’re not talking about being emotionless and having no feelings, just the loss of the harmful, unhelpful emotions that can paralyze us.  Make it a habit to not let the negativity in.  If we can do that it will allow us to realize that our power comes from a clear mind and a calm heart, and that when we are not in control of our own thoughts we are actually quite powerless, and we are nothing more than slaves to our fears and emotions.

     Do everything you can to always remain calm, to always stay in control, to genuinely love the opportunity to prove yourself, to those that want to see you succeed and for those that don’t.  So when that moment of adversity strikes, that is the most important time to remain calm.  Take that step back, be strong, be grounded and press on through that adversity.

     We all have moments of high stress in our life and that is why it is so important for us to find ways to de-stress, to get back to being calm.  Everyone will be different, but in the end everyone needs to find their center.  It doesn't matter how you do it, just know how to do it so you can get back to who you are unstressed as fast as possible.  Exercise, it works, trust me!  Go do yoga.  Have a drink with a close friend or friends.  Listen to your favorite band.  Go get out in nature for a hike.  Play with your kids.  Go for a motorcycle ride.  Whatever it is do it and do it frequently, it will change your life for the better.

     People who are the calmest typically will use all their vacation days, will fight for 8 hours of sleep, go be social with friends and family and not be social by looking at their names on a screen, The type of social where you have to actually look someone in the eyes and speak words and listen to words.  When’s the last time you left you cell phone at your house and went out the door without it.  That’s my point.  I give you permission to put down your smart phone and get back out in the world and see it, like with your actual eyes. I promise it will be ok.  It’ll probably be pretty amazing.

“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health" -Dalai Lama

Thanks for all the support, 

G

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One Last Thing You Shouldn't Be Doing!

     Over this past week, I noticed on multiple occasions the amount of people that I come across that tend to complain…a lot!  So I had to add a #14 to the list of last week’s 13 Things You Shouldn’t Be Doing. 

14. Don’t complain.

       a. No one likes a complainer, if something isn’t how you want it change it

     That being said, we have all had points in life where we can remember complaining about something, be it traffic, a long line at a store, a coworker, the weather, whatever it is, most of us probably already complained about something today.  We have all been guilty of it at some point.  I know we’ve talked about shifting our perspective, but what we all need to do is suffer to allow for that shift to completely happen permanently.

     Here’s a dose of that perspective the next time you find yourself thinking about complaining.  It’s the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton.  He was an arctic explorer who on a voyage to traverse Antarctica from end to end through the South Pole got stuck in the ice 100 miles off shore before they could land.  His ship The Endurance was ground to a halt in the Winter of 1915.  He now found himself and his men stranded in the ice with months before it would be warm enough to melt and release the ship.  10 months in the ship was crushed by the shifting ice.  That’s not a typo, 10 months! Makes 15 minutes in traffic with the AC and radio not too bad…right?

     They would hunt seals and penguins to survive as their rations ran low, and it even reached a point where they had to kill their sled dogs to live.  Dude ate his dogs without hesitation in an effort to save his men.  That’s someone who is hungry, not that person that says they are starving in the mall food court.  Just when it couldn’t get worse for them the giant ice slab they were calling home drifted into warmer waters and began to melt out from under them.  They crammed into the remaining life boats and were able to navigate to the Elephant Islands 150 miles away. It'd been almost 500 days since they'd been on land...

     It turned out the uninhabited island wasn’t any better than the ice slab they were on previously.  So in a last ditch effort to survive, Shackleton and a few of his crew navigated 800 miles to South Georgia Island.  Somehow they were able to navigate their way through the frigid rough seas and made it.  However, they were on the wrong side of the island and had to march across mountains and glaciers for a day and a half to reach civilization.  Without stopping.  Knowing that with their level of exhaustion and extreme cold, if they fell asleep, they'd never wake back up.  What’s on the other side of Mountains?  More mountains!  Talk about not wasting time complaining about the situation and doing everything he could think of to save his crew.  Which he did.  Every single one of them.  Pretty sure nothing in his life was ever worth complaining about after that.

     So stop.  Make a commitment to yourself to not complain the next time you’re tired during a workout.  You’re going to live; you’re not stuck in an Antarctica winter eating dogs to survive.  Push yourself beyond your comfort zone, that’s where the great things happen in this life, that’s where you get stronger, that’s where you harness your fear and use it to your advantage.  If it’s something that makes you uncomfortable, it’s probably the thing that you need to be doing.

     In the end what I want is for all of us to maximize our lives and realize our true potential to allow us to live that memorable life that we have to work hard and fight for.  It’s time to stop complaining and time to TANK UP and get after this opportunity that is waiting right in front of us.

G

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13 Things You Shouldn't Be Doing

This is a little different than the other postings, but I had to share this with you guys.  I saw this list over a year ago and wrote it down where I could see it on a daily basis.  It certainly is a work in progress and a struggle daily, but I know it has helped me so much.  It’s a really simple concept that may appear difficult to master, but the journey of trying to apply these motto’s daily will only make you stronger both, mentally and physically.  I can’t remember the exact title of the list, but I believe it had something to do with things Mentally Strong People Don’t do:

1. Don’t feel sorry for yourself.

a. Take responsibility of your role and understand life isn’t always fair

2. Don’t give away your power.

a. You are in control of your emotions and actions, no one else

3. Don’t shy away from change.

a. Change is inevitable at some point, so adapt and thrive

4. Don’t waste energy on things you cannot control.

a. Recognize that sometimes the only thing you can control is your attitude

5. Don’t worry about pleasing everyone.

a. Strive to be kind and fair, but know that not everyone will always be happy

6. Don’t fear calculated risk.

a. Not reckless or foolish, but calculated and understand the pros and potential cons

7. Don’t dwell on the past.

a. Live for the present and plan for the future

8. Don’t make the same mistake twice.

a. Learn from your past, move on and make better decisions from now on

9. Don’t resent another’s success.

a. Success comes with hard work, so work hard and your chance will present itself

10. Don’t give up after the first failure.

a. Keep trying till you get it right

11. Don’t fear alone time.

a. Don’t fear silence, embrace it and be productive with your alone time

12. Don’t feel the world owes you anything.

a. We’re not entitled to things in this life but the opportunities that we make

13. Don’t expect immediate results.

a. Understand that real change takes time, apply your skills to the best of your ability

I hope you find this insightful  and are able to start applying some of these principles to your daily lives.  Focus on the things that you can control in your life, your attitude, your work ethic, your passion, your drive, your skills and let someone else worry about all the things you can’t control, because at the end of the day, you’re going to be to busy kicking ass at this life no matter what you’re doing to have the time to waste.

G

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