Prep the Prep Time

I try and work as efficiently as possible so that  I maximize my time and give myself time to work on things besides the prep time of getting ready for the next day/few days. It takes a lot of planning and prepping and has been a big work in progress for the past year to year and a half but it has helped in the long run keep myself organized and honest with myself when I am not.

One strategy I have enjoyed is making a big batch of breakfast burritos and wrapping them in wax paper and aluminum foil and then freezing them. After a few times of making them I have gotten the cooking time to down under an hour for the whole project which yields me between 10 and 12 days of breakfast.

This has been a great energy and time saver for me so that I can spend time doing other things but make sure that I have good nutrition lined up for my next day of work.

10 Minutes A Day

A new initiative of mine these past few weeks has to spend 10 minutes a day separate of my training session for the day dedicated on movement. More specifically low impact  movement that will better help postural issues and improve timing and patterning of specific muscles.

These 10 minutes consist of stretching/mobility/yoga/breathing exercises/tai chi/flow/low level body weight exercises/whatever else you want to call it.

I have been able to start this habit and dedicate 10 minutes for about a week now. It has helped me be more relaxed and feel better in between my training sessions. I have even filmed a few of the sessions and watched part of them to see what posture I am actually in compared to my proprioception of the movement. Doing so has helped me realize how much trunk flexion I present with on a regular basis throughout movement patterns.

It is a work in progress and a long way from being a habit, but dedicating just 10 minutes a day on movement is helping me learn feel how to better move and better instruct.

The Creativity Stiffled

Work, housework, training, reading, relationships, errands, time wasting etc.

All of these things get put first before creativity, before shipping, before putting myself out there, before taking on more, and more importantly before putting things into action. 

Frankly, it is time to put things into action, develop the habit, and get creative. 

It starts by starting.

1 Year Ago

1 year ago (yesterday) I had surgery to repair my torn labrum in my left shoulder.

1 year ago (yesterday) I started healing and improving my situation instead of letting it control me. I had lived in denial of it for a long time and thought I could beat the system and avoid going under the knife. However, even with all of my experience and learning it still had to happen.

I view my surgery as a big turning point in my year. Before the surgery I was going through a rough time looking for work, always seemed to make excuses or say i couldn't do something, due to being in almost constant pain, and felt very limited. After surgery I could finally say "I can't do that... yet, but I will be able to soon." Six weeks with my dominant arm in a sling felt like a lifetime, and made my right arm quickly learn how to do the everyday tasks of life, but I did my time in the sling and was diligent in my rehab that I was cleared from the doctor at 12 weeks. With the improved attitude and outlook, I was able to find work and let my personality shine through again, making myself a better person to be around.

There were plenty of bumps in the road to getting my shoulder back to full strength and becoming pain free in the first year post surgery. But going through the experience has taught me how to exercise smarter, know when to push my limits,when  to back off, and know when to be patient and let things take their course.

I still may not be able to do every exercise or activity that I want to yet.... But I will soon.

Reflections of a 24 yr old

Today I turn a quarter of a century old. The big 2-5. Officially closer to 30 than 20, and any other thing you can say about being in the smack dab middle of your 20s. With that, like last year I will reflect on some important things that happened to me as a 24 yr old.

• I realized  I didn't like who I was and quit a job that was affecting my behavior outside of work
• I applied for lots of different jobs and cautiously said no, because they all weren't good fits.
• I started dealing with my unnecessary anxiety head on
• I had shoulder surgery
• I took a temporary customer service job and a fun 3 weeks and vowed to always be nice when I am on the other side of the phone
• I got a job in the fitness field that paid a decent salary and had benefits
• I started working with a population I had never worked with before.
• I got myself on my own financially
• I started to feel like a full human being again (two fully functioning shoulders)
• I got a text message out of the blue that has changed my life forever :)
• I learned to be myself in personal relationships
• I witnessed on of my favorite teams win a championship in person. WE WON THE CUP!!!!
• I got an offer for an opportunity that couldn't be passed up
• I fell in love (the real kind)
• I've become not afraid of the fallout

As you can see from the list above as I turned 24 life was at a rocky place, it only got worse but it made me tackle things head on and not just push them to the side. It was after that that I realized how good life could be and I can say that I am the happiest I have been in a long while. Here is to it continuing as I officially become an old man ;)

-DJB

No Job too Small

I have recently started a new job and am really enjoying it. There is a lot of interaction with the members and the staff and the atmosphere is great.

With any job there are little tedious things that need to be taken care of. These menial tasks often get swept to the side or not have much thought put into them due to more pressing matters. However I see these jobs a bit differently. My internship days taught me the value of taking pride in the jobs everyone else hates, or doesn't want to do. This has helped translate that into the working world and keeps the focus on the important things so the supervisor or manager doesn't have to be checking up to see if they get taken care of.

This also translates into personal life in that if you take time to actually listen to a person you care about, or clean up after yourself so someone doesn't have to remind you, or (for guys specifically, if you put the toilet seat down for your wife or girlfriend) then you can keep your mind clear of the little jobs that clutter it.

If you find yourself with a tedious task, take a second to take a deep breath, get a positive mindset, and look at the task a different way, you may find that can be therapeutic for you, and may even lead to a breakthrough on a meaningful project.

-DJB

Reflections and Connections

December is the time of year where all sorts of different media outlets post and list their favorite items/events/people of 2013. My reflections on the year are a bit more private and may remain so ( I haven't decided yet). However another kind of reflection that I am doing this holiday season is connecting with people who I haven't kept up good contact with this past year.

I am lucky enough to have some time off during the holiday season. I have made a list of people, in no particular order, that I have thought about and realized we haven't talked in a while. Each day I will call and talk with them, or leave a voicemail if they don't answer. Yes CALL them, not text, email, tweet, or facebook message. The point is to make this personal and not something out of courtesy during the holidays. 

If you have time during the holidays I would encourage you to do the same. I am excited to hear about how the people on my list are doing, and hopefully it propels us to not lose our renewed connection and builds stronger friendships and bonds because of it.

Happy Holidays,

DJB.

Post surgery Vol. 3: The sling is gone!

It is time to get things moving along with my rehabilitation from my Type II SLAP tear. I have officially been cleared out of my sling as of a few days ago.

Yesterday, I went to physical therapy and got cleared for full range of motion in all planes.  However, I am not close to full range, yet. As hard as it might be for me progress slowly and know my limitations, I know that this new intact labrum is an expensive new chance to do things the correct way. I became aware and educated on how to protect my shoulder too late for surgical intervention, but now it is time for me to become proactive and make sure that this surgically repaired shoulder lasts me for as long as possible so I do not have to have any more surgeries on my left shoulder any time soon.

Unfortunately, I have seen this case with a lot of people I have observed. The movement patterns are performed with little care and technique until there is signs of pain and dysfunction that puts a limit on what can be performed. It is a reactive nature instead of proactive.

Being proactive to improve movement to build both inner and outer strength is something, now more than ever, I hold dear to my heart since I have been on the other side. I know how it feels to not be able to do basic movement patterns because of pain and movement dysfunction that couldn't be improved without surgical intervention.

It is time for me to put my words into practice, I have been learning and teaching more and more, and now am very excited to be going through the trials of re-learning how to use my left arm and create movement patterns that are fluid and pain free

It is time for a more proactive you.

Post Surgery Vol. 2

This post is long overdue.

The past few weeks have been a pretty consistent linear climb to getting back to fully functional. I went in for my two week post-op appointment and was able to get my stitches out which was a relief because I can actually take a shower without worrying about getting the stitches wet. The sterile strip in the scar in the back of my shoulder fell off today and the scar is barely noticeable.

I made it my goal to get at least 10,000 steps on my fitbit each day, I have only missed that goal one day since I set it. I have been making myself get up and go walking early in the day since it has been so hot and humid the past few weeks.

I started physical therapy on Thursday and i have limited range of motion until I am four weeks out and then I can get a bit more before I am cleared to be out of my sling (my appointments is in 22 days, not that I'm counting).

Overall I am still happy with how everything has gone. I have tightened up my nutrition so that I am not gaining weight since my activity level is lower than normal. I have also been able to refocus and devote a good amount of time to working on my Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification.

It is a waiting game to make sure this labrum is completely healed and once I get to the 6 week mark I will be good to go to start getting my activity levels back up to where I want them to be.

Post Surgery Vol. 1

Tuesday I finally took the step and got surgery for my SLAP tear in my left shoulder. The past week has been a little spacey with lots of sleeping throughout the day to recover.

Here is a brief day by day review

Tuesday- By the time Tuesday came around I was beyond ready to get this over with. The doctor said that the surgery went better than expected and they were able to do everything they needed to do through the scope which is nice to help keep the scaring to a minimum.

Wednesday- The nerve block was finally wearing off so i was actually starting to feel pain, however I did end up sleeping for most of the day because the pain killers and I were not getting along.

Thursday- This was the first day of the week where I felt back alert and more like myself. I even threw my fitbit to see how many steps I got in during the day, my goal was 1000, and I got pretty close.

Friday (Today)- Today is the first day I don't have to ice constantly so I am able to move around a bit more. I was able to take off the bandage and see the 3 scars healing on my shoulder. I have gotten up to 2,000 steps and went out and saw my chiropractor to get some acupuncture done.

So today I have started to feel more human again and get back to a routine. I am hitting my goals of getting more steps in each day and being slightly more active each day. I have made sure to keep my diet in check as to not overeat junkfood but also to make myself eat when the painkillers don't let me have an appetite.

I'll be back in a few days with hopefully more energy!

Coach vs. Coach

A lot of people call themselves coaches or trainers however seeing a person coach or train is a totally different story. The action of coaching is what makes a person a coach, not just because they call themselves it. It doesn't matter if it is fitness or sports or even life, some action has to be taken by the coach to coach. However it seems that we can get lost along the way and that a title is more important than the action. I have been spoiled in the fast of I have been taught to coach on many different topics. Was I good at it whatever I was coaching at first? probably not, but I had a coach supervising that coached me on how to get better. This coaching helped me become a better coach whether it be swimming, strength and conditioning or other topics.

If we as coaches don't coach our clients and athletes we are doing them a disservice. We are not educating them on what they need to improve on and we are not doing our jobs to make them better. Coaches coach not babysit.

So go coach to be a coach.

backwards to go forwards

As much as I have not wanted to have surgery in the past to fix the SLAP tear in my shoulder, it is time to get it taken care of. I may not be looking forward to 6 weeks of my dominant arm in a sling but in the long run if I am able to throw without pain again and even possibly get back into the pool again I am ready to do so.

Going backwards to go forwards isn't something that most people like to do, I know I don't but I need to, and it is frustrating because we all have an ego that doesn't want to go back to that beginner or novice level, no matter what the situation. However, in my case this scenario provides (forces) me opportunities to learn how to do things with my right arm. I may even try and teach myself how to write right handed giving me a shot to write legibly for once in my life.

When you have to regress to go forwards realize that it provides great learning opportunities that you might not have been forced to do before. Don't take a narrow frame to the situation and realize that going backwards before you go forwards is the direction you need to go.

Why not you?

A question  I have asked myself many times is why is there a disconnect between the people who innovate and become an entrepreneur and others who sit by and watch the world go by as they punch in and out at their 9-5 job?

What gives some people the right or gall to start something and what causes others to not launch on anything they want to do and only be the coffee shop dreamer?

In a blog post from my former boss Tony Gentilcore, he wrote about personal trainers "getting comfortable with being uncomfortable." I feel that holds a lot of weight and not just with personal trainers. As a person marketing themselves as their own brand has to be comfortable with rejection due to a myriad of factors that can't be taken personally, even though more often then not they are. It can be a tough task to achieve, because being comfortable is well, comfortable. With the age of news feeds and timelines and reader pages attention spans are getting shorter making it more difficult to get staying power in any business.

As far as internet fitness goes I have heard that it is easier for all the new professionals in the industry because of the wide reach that is available and what knowledge is already floating out around the interwebz. From my perspective it is harder because you have all of the information that is available and has been presented and you have to figure out how to get your small piece of usually what is the already small piece we are all going after. It takes extra creativity and passion to be able to find your niche along the way but it can be done.

So go do it. yes, you.

(If you don't someone else will)

"The Magic Box"

I had a first session with a client the other day and on the interest paper it read "searching for the magic box."  I thought to myself keep looking and let me know when you find it. I met with the client and while we were talking about how to reach the realistic goals we were setting again they mentioned "I want that magic box."  I told them "me too, I would be a 6'4" 250 middle linebacker in the NFL if I had that magic box. But as much as we wish for it, it isn't realistic. It takes a good amount of effort to get even the smallest goal achieved.

Unfortunately I still find myself occasionally searching for that elusive magic box in the ways of burying myself in books that I may find the secret  and shortcut to whatever it is I am looking for. I laugh when I realize I am doing it, whether I am trying to figure out the ins and outs of economics and finance, because I have no formal background in it, or looking for the next research study or therapy book to learn from and pull new information out of it.

While searching for this magic box I have realized I have had it all along and all that I learn through formal education, informal education and interaction are different tools that fit into the box that make it magical. Some of the information will be more important at different times, and some of it won't fit until a specific time or place. However, it all helps along the way.

So when you find yourself looking for the magic box realize that you already have it and you just need to pull the right tool from it. The answer might not be right in front of your face, or at the top of the box, but make the effort to find the right tool for the situation and it will work out.

Art, and the fun doing it

I have had more time on my hands recently. It is time to use that time productively and get some writing done.

This morning I finished The Icarus Decpetion, Seth Godin's latest book and it was time for me to suck it up and finish it, I bought it in January. I usually breeze through his works and really enjoy reading them. It was a bigger factor that it took me a longer time to get the book back off the shelf and finish it. Life has been interesting for me in the past few months with multiple waves of instability and being unsure thrown my way.

The sum substance of the book is to make art, and make it well, if it isn't clicking with an audience, find a different one and make better art. There lies my problem. I have been complacent without making art, therefore regretting the opportunities not taken. It is time to start again making the art and realize the journey and process is the fun of it.

Art isnt your typical paintings or drawings (however in my case part of my art is my black and white ink drawings) but it is doing the work that you love to do and putting the effort in to care about the work. When I give myself a chance to reflect on the art I can make everyday I realize how important the art is and what can be done to make a difference no matter what size.

We are now at Step 1 (We completed 2 steps)

I have been at my new job for just under two months now. And like with any new job there is a lot to do to get things the way they you like them at the beginning. Dealing with teenagers, it can take a little bit and be an ongoing challenge to get them to focus on working out and training the way they should. But it has been a challenge that I have welcomed, because after all it is my job, and everyone deserves a great coach to help them get better (I hope I can be that for my athletes). These first two months have been where I am almost on repeat making sure to cue the same little nuances over and over to ingrain it in my classes heads what they need to do. Looking at how far they have come in such a short amount of time has been amazing and there is definite improvement just by the looks of their attitudes towards training. After yesterday's sessions I thought to myself then said to the other coach "we have gained 2 steps.... We are now at step 1." He laughed, looked at me puzzled and asked what I meant by that.

Here is what I meant

Step -1) We eliminated bad habits

Step 0)  We started good habits

Step 1) We have practiced good habits


It takes work to get to step 1 but once you are there you will know, think of getting to step 1 as the beginning results for all the effort that you put into to your task through consistent diet, training and lifestyle change. It is all worth it once you get there.

Looking at Increases in Strength a bit Differently

The past few months, since kick starting my journey to be awesome at CP, I have been able to work around my "injuries" and have been able to get a training effect.

With all of the issues I have dealt with, torn left labrum, chronic left big toe pain, severe left anterior hip tightness, occasional  right anterior knee pain, right jammed ankle, one would think that I would be relegated to only training my right arm. However not the case. Working with all the coaches at CP I was able to find exercises that I could do without pain. If I did them correctly. When talking with Eric about it he did tell me that a positive of my shoulder pain was that if it hurt during specific movements, I was doing it wrong. Honestly, I had never thought of it that way before.

That one statement made me actually think about what I was doing in the weight room, and probably overthink, to make sure that I would relearn movement patterns correctly.

Doing this was and still is a humbling experience. For most upper body exercises I had to crank down the weight to relearn the patterns. I had to took my ego out of lifting. It helped. Slowly and steadily over the past 5 months I have been working on getting my movement patterns back and increasing my strength. I have gotten back to a solid weight of 193lbs and increased my lean tissue that I lost over the summer.

However, by the looks of my numbers on my logs you wouldn't really say my strength has been increasing, even though they have. Given the state that I have been in I have to judge my increases in strength a tad differently. Because of the shoulder pain all vertical pressing or rowing has been taken out (on my left side). Leaving me to rely on horizontal rowing variations, bilateral and unilateral, and mostly pushup variations.

In the past 2 months I have been able to go up 5 pounds in a standing 1 arm cable row on my left side. That is pretty weak for a baby boomer let alone a 23 year old fitness professional, but the quality of the repetitions  I have been able to do have increased dramatically. My rowing pattern has started to get synced up so that scapular retraction will initiate the movement allowing me to use my lower trapezius to stabilize my shoulders and letting me keep my core tight throughout the movement. So even though my traditional number of how much weight I can do is still very low, I know that my strength and coordination is increasing because my pain levels have decreased and the quality has increased.

Think about assessing the quality of the exercise next time you are in the weight room and you have gone up in weight, not just making sure you have good form, but actually getting a sense of what your body is doing during the movement. You will see that the high number isn't everything.

Take the ego out of it.
Do it well, then do it heavy.

Using Your other 23 Hours to Your Advantage Part 4

Sorry for the delay, my computer crashed right before Thanksgiving making it a pain to recover all that was on it to transfer to my new one

13.    Bulk it up

Get things you use the most in bulk and keep an organized pantry or freezer. Even if you have little storage space for food having your staples on hand will allow you to be prepared when run out of an ingredient and if you stock up when the items are on sale, it can save you a lot of money over the long haul.

14. Sit up Straight!

You posture imbalances won’t get fixed by doing your mobility work and warm up alone. You need to focus on having good postural habits throughout the day to help reinforce good postural habits. For example, if you are a person who is kyphotic and has to sit at a desk all day prop your computer up on a few books to get it to a better height to decrease your forward head posture. ( I started doing this a few years ago when I was having neck issues and it improved them drastically)

15.   Bag your supplements

Go out and buy a pack of snack size plastic bags and lay them out to your supplements for the week. If you take your supplements three times a day lay out 21 bags. Then count out everything you take daily and stuff them in the bag. This lets you have everything in one place when you go to take them and it allows for you to grab a bag when you are in a hurry or late to work, instead of trying to bag it at the last minute or skipping them.
16.   Time out

Set specific days of the week for certain household chores such as laundry or cleaning the house. This helps make sure you will have the things you need or that your home looks well all the time instead of getting to be a danger zone during the times when you don’t have much time.

Keep on keeping on in and out of the gym I will be back soon with the next update!

Using Your Other 23 Hours to Your Advantage Part 3

9. Get on a regular sleep cycle

• Keeping yourself on a regular sleep cycle will keep your body balanced and help you develop good habits to help keep you healthy and in the gym. I’m no scientist but there is plenty of research out there to support it so… check it out. Set a time for you to go to bed and get up each day, try and make it the same every day ( try and make it 7-8 hrs). After a few weeks you won’t regret it.

10. Organize your web information

• In the age of take advantage every second and instant media, the internet can slowly suck away a lot of the time you have.  Therefore use a web organizer to help follow all of the blogs and news stories that are important to you. I use Google Reader to organize the blog posts of the people I follow. I check it at least once a week which allows me to stay current with the information but not have to worry about missing a good article.

11. Get accountable

• Get a partner or multiple people to help you keep your goals a reality. Talk about your goals therefore when you might be slipping away from eating healthy or getting yourself to the gym (don’t let that happen) you have plenty of people to get yourself in check. They may be telling you something you don’t want to hear all the time but some tough love from the right person will help you get back on the horse.

  

12.  Find a new place to concentrate

• I find when I really need to concentrate on a project or a study session I am unable to do so at my desk because there will always be some distraction that comes along drawing my attention away from what I am doing. I find going to a coffee shop or library helps me concentrate on my work to eliminate the distractions of the house.

Using Your Other 23 hours to Your Advantage Part 2

Here is part 2 (tips 5-8) of using your other 23 hours of your day to help keep your life from interfering with your precious time in the gym.

  

 5. Get your nutrition in order

I will admit when it comes to nutrition I am not an authority figure.  However I take any opportunity I can to learn from those that are to keep my nutrition on the up and up. Take this guest blog from Chris Howard the nutrition specialist at Cressey Performance talk about getting your nutrition in order.  

 

6. Foam roll while watching Televsion

Chances are even in your busiest weeks you have a few favorite television shows that you watch every week, for me it is How I Met Your Mother and Parks and Recreation. However I hate wasting time so within those 22 minutes (from the DVR). I try and be efficient by getting on the floor and foam roll while watching them. I hit all the major muscle groups and go a little longer on the sore spots to help improve tissue quality. Be honest with yourself you can always have better tissue quality.

7. Delegate out

No matter how much control over your life you have you can not do everything yourself. Use your resources to your advantage and delegate out some aspects of your life. If you have trouble planning your workouts hire a personal trainer. It could be an online trainer, look to see if they are a good fit for you, or use one at your gym if you feel you need more hands on instruction. Giving this little bit of control to another individual will help decrease your stress levels because it will be one less thing you have to worry about.

 

 8. Meal lists are your best friend

Having all of your meals planned out for the week is the best way to hold yourself accountable for eating well to help your gym time throughout the week. Take a few minutes and look to see what is in the cabinets and refrigerator that you can build your meals around for the week then check the specials at your grocery store and make a menu for the week. Go to the grocery store to get the necessary items and start cooking! Sticking to this menu will help you save money from eating out and will help you plan out calories based on your nutrition needs.