Summer is sadly coming to an end, now is the time to get your fitness schedule back into your routine.
Watch this video to find out the 3 things you will need!

Mark Twain said, “It isn’t what you know that hurts you; it is what you know that isn’t so.”

Faulty thinking prevents us from moving forward in all areas of our life and it’s certainly true with fitness.

One of the common forms of twisted thinking I’ve worked to overcome is “all or nothing” thinking.

Those might be thoughts like:

• I always fall off track

• I can’t stick with anything

• I never make good food choices

The key words here are always and never. Almost any sentence that starts with those words is a distorted thought. You’ll need to recognize it as such in order to correct it.

So how can we re-frame that second example?

Rather than say, “I can’t stick with anything,” you might say, “An example of something I’ve stuck with is _____________.” What things can I do to help ensure I stick with this?”

I’m sure you can see how the revised thought would be more productive.

Another form of distorted thinking is another one I know all too well. It’s calledfortune telling.

Examples of fortune telling might be:

• This won’t work

• I’ll never lose any weight

• Something will derail me

We pretend to know the future and seem to always tell the future in the negative.

To fix the first example you might say, “I’m going to stick to the plan and take it one step at a time. Everything worthwhile takes time and I accept that.”

The final example of negative thinking I want to point out is blaming.

That might look like:

• My trainer didn’t motivate me enough

• I don’t have the time

• My spouse doesn’t eat healthy so it’s impossible for me to.

To fix the second thought you might say, “If it were easy everyone would do it.” We all have the same 24 hours and I get to choose what I do. I’m going to prioritize my health because it’s something I value.

Most of what holds people back is underneath the surface. These thought patterns come from somewhere and it’s worth it to explore so you can become who you were destined to be.

I was recently conducting a training session and one of our members said something that was more powerful than even she probably realizes.

She said, “I recently had a bone density scan and even my doctor was surprised that the results were perfect.”

She went on to explain that the doctor told her he thinks her perfect results were due to the resistance training she does with us.

She was especially pleased because she’s in a phase of life where all of her friends are getting bone density scans as well.

Most of her friends, even the ones that “workout” are being diagnosed with bone density issues.

Her friends do different workouts, including pilates, yoga, and different forms of cardiovascular training.

While those forms of exercise can be very beneficial, they won’t have the same impact when it comes to bone density and even fat loss.

Needless to say, she was thrilled as she should be.

This story illustrates the importance of doing resistance training when it comes to maintaining strong and healthy bones.

This may not be overly appealing to you but if you’re over the age of 40 it should be.

By the time we reach that age, we slowly start to lose it.

Thankfully there are things we can do to prevent severe bone loss. And that’s the key.

You see low bone density (osteopenia) can lead to weak bones (osteopenia) and eventually osteoporosis. This is a point where bones become weak and fragile and can break easily.

When doing resistance training, you’ll want to choose the correct exercises and do them properly.

If you’d like some assistance here, reply with “resistance training” and we’ll set something up!

We don’t like it (I know I don’t) but we don’t grow when everything is going smoothly.

I was recently listening to an interview with 2 of the best Crossfit competitors in the world.

They talked about learning much more from their losses than anything else. Not only did they become better athletes after facing adversity but they became better in all areas of life.

I was recently talking to a friend and TBBC Warrior names John about this very topic. Since I know John has overcome several difficult circumstances, I asked him to share his perspective.

Without missing a beat, these are the 6 things he came up with when I asked him the key to getting better through setbacks rather than letting them get the best of us. By the way, I couldn’t agree more:

1. Have a goal – Having a goal is crucial when it comes to persevering through challenges. I’ll also add the importance of knowing why you have that goal. Victor Frankl said, “If you know your why you can endure any how.”

2. Be determined – We can’t escape problems. We can decide how we will respond to them. Decide that you will keep going no matter what.

3. Fight the urge – We all have the urge to want to throw in the towel every so often. That just makes us human. However, we need to fight the urge, remember our why and keep going.

4. Plan the night before – There’s a big difference between ‘seeing how I feel in the morning” Vs. planning ahead. Lay your workout clothes out. Make an appointment. Decide in advance what you will do. Successful people plan their day the night before.

5. Make it a habit – Get into a routine that will help you reach your goal. Every big goal is the culmination of little habits we do each day. Just be the kind of person that makes healthy food choices and gets enough activity.

6. Accountability – This might be the most important one. Surround yourself with a supportive community that cares about you. This is invaluable in reaching any goal.

I find it interesting when people tell me they can’t achieve their fitness goals because they’re:

• On medication

• Have an injury

• Suffer from depression

• Fill in the blank

Sorry for the hard truth but these things are excuses.

I’ll leave you with a quote that’s plastered on our wall at TBBC.

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

When Bill Gates and Warren Buffet first met, Gates’ mother hosted a dinner party for them.

She asked each person sitting at the table to share what they believed was the single most important factor contributing to their success in life.

Without missing a beat, Gates and Buffet gave the same one word answer: “Focus.”

So why am I sharing this with you? I think we can all learn from this even if we’re not among the richest people in the world.

You see, we have about another month of summer before we get into our routines again.

Before we know it, the kids will be back at school and our social calendars will slow down.

This isn’t at all meant to be a guilt trip but what you do in terms of nutrition and exercise will have an impact on your fitness level and goals for the fall.

Sure, you may not be as dialed in with your fitness in the thick of summer. But that doesn’t mean you have to let go of it completely.

Here are a few things you can do so you don’t go backwards.

Get workouts in where you can. Once or twice per week will go along way. I’ve made the mistake of thinking that because my workout schedule wasn’t perfect, I shouldn’t bother. That is a limiting and false belief. Even 10 minute workouts add up!

You can also plan in some healthy meals. Even if you indulge at parties, there are a lot of other meals where you can eat more supportively. Many people make the same mistake as I described above when it comes to nutrition. They lose momentum as a result of a chaotic schedule so they mail it in.

My challenge to you is to have some fitness goals in the month of August even if they aren’t as aggressive.

A couple of weeks ago we went on a family vacation. There were lots of cool activities where we were but honestly the best memories were just doing simple things like eating together and playing games.

One night in particular we went to a gymnasium where they had all sorts of games – table tennis, foosball, volleyball, basketball, etc.

After playing different games for a while we ended up messing around with a basketball.

While my kids are pretty active, they really haven’t played much, if any basketball.

We began playing “keep away” where I would dribble around and they would try to get the ball from me.

They got a huge kick out of me bouncing the ball around their backs, through my legs, etc.

Once we settled down, my daughter Alyssa (8) said something I’ll probably never forget.

Looking at me with her soft blue eyes she said, “Dad, can you teach me how to dribble?”

I was honored and began teaching her the basics that I learned 30 years ago – Use your finger tips, bend at the elbow, etc.

It took her a bit but she started to get it. At first she would mess up right away but in a few minutes she was able to bounce it 10 times.

I guess I wasn’t too shocked when after just a few minutes she said, “OK now I want to bounce it through my legs like you.”

“Slow down,” I told her. You just started learning. Once you get really good at these basics we can work on the fancier stuff. Thankfully she nodded in agreement.

It got me thinking that we all do that to a certain extent.

We want to get to the next level before doing the necessary work. We want results yesterday. We over complicate things. I’m the same way.

In fitness, this plays out with people looking for the perfect diet or fitness program.

How about just starting to drink more water, taking a vitamin, or going for 3 30 minute walks per week. Once you learn to do a basic dribble, you can then go between your legs and behind your back.

“I’ll start my diet Monday.” Have you ever said that or heard someone say it?

I almost fell into that sort of mentality recently. You seem I hurt my back and was out of BJJ for a little while.

I wanted to and was ready to go back but I had an easy excuse. I was getting ready to go on vacation in a couple of days. I said to myself, “I’ll just go back to it after vacation.”

Thankfully I caught myself. As easy as it would have been to push it off (I had lots to do), I’m so glad I went.

It was good for my confidence. I made a little promise to myself and kept it.

I got a little better. Of course I got better by going compared to if I didn’t go.

Perhaps most importantly I minimized the lack of momentum.

This is something people neglect to realize. There is power in ACTION!

So take action today, no matter how small, in the area you want to improve on.

After working with people to transform their bodies and lives for over 20 years, transforming different areas of my own life, and studying successful people, there is a common thread in terms of where to start.

People who want to transform themselves often struggle with what to do first. Is it a special diet? A crazy fitness program?

The first step is surprisingly simple.

Make a small promise to yourself and keep it.

It truly doesn’t matter what it is. At this point it’s all about creating a habit and building confidence.

It takes a healthy self esteem and a certain level of confidence to achieve lasting success in any area. A huge part of that self confidence comes from making these small promises to yourself and keeping them.

Sometimes these promises are verbal (“I’m going to start my diet Monday”) and sometimes they’re silent (“I really need to plan my meals”).

Either way these promises are absolutely crucial.

When kept we can become unstoppable and when broken we lose confidence and begin a downward spiral.

If you’re doubting me, think of any success you’ve achieved and I bet you can trace it back to a single promise that started a chain. And any “failure” can be traced back to a single promise that was broken. Maybe it was a first drink or one too many. Maybe it was a missed workout or a donut at the office. I’m not sure but it was something.

Most of you know that about 10 years ago Melissa and I began a journey of paying down over 6 figures (between 100-200K) of non-mortgage debt. I still remember the first credit card swipe that started it.

My challenge to you this week is to make a promise and keep it. I don’t care how small it is. The habit is more important than anything.

You can take it one step further by giving your goal a voice. Write it down or tell someone.

Making the little promise AND adding accountability to it can start you on your path of becoming unstoppable.