I have been looking forward to this upcoming weekend for months.  It is the 15th running of the Pike’s Peek 10k.  It’s a race I’ve been training to participate in for months.  I will be going for my 10k personal record and plan to leave nothing out on the course.

The reason I’m telling you this is because I want to share with you some of the strategies that I’ve used to stay focused and persevere through injury and illness during my training program.

I’ve often discussed in the past the importance of 3 key factors in achieving your fitness goals.  Nutrition, exercise and mindset are certainly vital elements to success in any fitness or weight loss program.  But today, I’d like to talk about the importance of the intangible elements that are critical to succeeding in ANY of life’s endeavors, but specifically to achieving your personal fitness, weight and athletic goals.

These factors include goal setting, vision, determination, perseverance and discipline. Though these are only words, living by them is what will ultimately determine whether you live your dream and accomplish your goals or stand on the sideline wondering – “What if?”

I’d like to share with you some insight from one of our trainers, Chad Ciri, who recently competed in the Crossfit sectional competition in Northern Virginia, the first step in his journey to qualify for the Crossfit games in California.

“It has been my goal to qualify for the 2011 Crossfit games for the last 2 years, which is one of the most highly regarded strength and conditioning competitions for some of the best athletes in the world!”

“As I entered the competition this year, I wasn’t really expecting to qualify for the next step toward the games for 2010, rather, I was there to discover how much more work I needed to accomplish my goal of reaching the 2011 competition.  It was a stepping stone towards my ultimate goal.”

“To make a long story short, I finished somewhere in the middle of the pack. I originally felt frustrated by this and my journey to even qualify for the 2011 games seemed that much more daunting. For days, I thought about abandoning my goal of continuing to train for 2011. Then I realized, I had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I was out there giving it everything I had, and at the end of the day, I hung in there with some of the best athletes on the east coast. ”

“Though I may not be proud to share the outcome of this competition with my clients or to a huge list of strangers for that matter, I am proud to say that I left it all out on the table. I have to remind myself of why I signed on the dotted line in the first place to enter the competition. And mainly, for me, it was so I didn’t have to sit on the sidelines and wonder “What If”. I learned more about where I stood in comparison to the competition, and now I can formulate a better action plan of how to qualify next year.This must be my mindset if I’m going to ever achieve greatness.”
- Chad Ciri

This is something that I think everyone needs to keep in mind as they pursue their own personal fitness goals. Sure, not everyone is pursuing exercise competitively, but everyone is chasing a dream of their own.  Their best possible body, a goal weight, a certain fitness feat.  At the end of the day, if you can look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say that you’ve given it everything you have, you WILL get to your goal in time.

What we may perceive as failure is seldom accurate.  Instead, each time we miss a goal, we discover one more opportunity to improve and reformulate our path to success.

I was discussing goals and success with my good friend Steve Hefferon and he said something that really stuck with me.  He said… “In any room full of people, the most successful person is also the person who has had the most failures”.  This couldn’t be truer.  Only through failing do you learn and realize what you have to do to get it right next time.  This is perseverance.

One of my new favorite authors, Steve Chandler who runs www.clubfearless.net shared a very good Michael Jordan quote on this aspect the other day…

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.
I’ve lost more than 300 games.  Twenty-six times I’ve
been trusted to take the game-winning shot, and missed.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. . . and
that’s why I succeed.”

- Michael Jordan

The last few months of my training for this race have not been without bumps in the road that I could’ve easily let stop the momentum I was building in my training.  I had to sit on the sidelines for 4 out of the 12 weeks at different times with a bulged disc in my back, a nasty sore throat, and then a cold.  I also twisted my knee in a near mountain biking crash just last week.  Most would take just one of those as excuse enough to stop their momentum.  I won’t.  My goal is clear.  I will be out there giving it my all.

Will you take on that same attitude for your goals? I sure hope so.

Never give up.  No matter what seems to be impeding your success.  Analyze where you went wrong in your previous approach, make corrections, and there’s nothing that can stop you.

Be Fearless,

Dennys Passeto

PS: If you want to participate in the 10k this Sunday, you can find out more about the race here http://pikespeek10k.com.  I’ll be the guy running with the Achieve Fitness shirt hoping to finish in under 46 minutes.

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by Dennys Passeto

Last Tuesday I was a guest speaker at a local 12 week long weight loss challenge that concluded last week.  It was the final weigh in for the contestants that had participated in the 12 week long challenge.

They were all local people just like you and me who had just 1 goal in mind, to lose weight and get in shape.

The purpose of my speech was to give these individuals some ideas and knowledge to take with them to continue to propel their great results now that they were going off on their own.  This is the most valuable tool I can give them as a trainer to empower them to take control of their lives.

Needless to say, I was blown away by their progress as the organizers first announced the inches and total body fat percentage lost followed by presenting the winner their cash prize.  Nice prizes too.  The winner took almost $300 in cash!

It was very much like the biggest loser except the contestants did all the work on their own with the help of a weekly group meeting and weigh in at the Kentlands Nutrition store. This became their headquarters  where they received a motivating and informational speech on a different aspect of weight loss every week.

I was honored to have been invited and to get to witness this.  I wanted to let you know that they are starting a new 6 week weight loss challenge on December 1st.  Yes, I know that was yesterday but you can still sign up and be only 1 day behind. With this powerful system in place, you’ll make up the results in no time!

Anyways, if you are interested in signing up, please contact Kimberly Strickland at 240-388-2537 or by email at wlc.strickland@gmail.com. Be sure to tell her I sent you.  I’ve also attached the flyer for the upcoming challenge.  This could be a great way to motivate yourself into making some positive changes.

And don’t forget about spreading the gift of great health by giving a Gift Certificate for Personal Training to someone you love this holiday season.  Gift Certificates are available for any amount you desire.  However, you must order before December 16th to ensure you have it by the 24th so don’t put this off.  I know we all procrastinate every year including myself so let’s break the cycle.  Please contact Mike for more information at 1-888-872-7961 ext. 1.

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Many television viewers have become absolutely fascinated with the NBC reality show, The Biggest Loser. The show takes obese, deconditioned people away from their every day life and places them on a campus to be put through an intense, grueling exercise and diet regimen geared toward rapid weight loss.

If you have seen the show and the results it produces, you’ve surely been impressed with the transformations in the bodies of the contestants. The weight loss that occurs on the show is nothing short of inspirational. But does the show give an accurate depiction of safe, effective weight loss?

Certainly no one can argue with the end result. Many of the contestants have lost over 200 pounds on the Biggest Loser campus, some at a pace of more than 10 pounds per week! So,it’s clear that the numbers don’t lie when it comes to the results these people are getting. It is truly amazing that this show has helped people take control of their health and more importantly, their lives. We as personal trainers love to see this!

However, there are some things that, as fitness professionals, we feel obligated to caution you against.

The show has the tendency to foster unrealistic expectations on the actual pace of weight loss. Healthy, sustainable weight loss should occur at 1-2 pounds per week. Some of the contestants experience weight loss of 15 pounds per week or more!

While this is impressive, we must keep two things in mind. One is that most of these contestants are morbidly obese and have upwards of two hundred pounds to shed, so it’s not unrealistic for them to shed pounds that are such a small percentage of their overall body weight. The second is that these contestants are on a full-time weight loss program. Their entire day is dedicated to weight loss, and the time they spend exercising can exceed 6 hours per day.

Another part of the show that may give the public the wrong idea about physical training is the unnecessary challenging exercises that the contestants are put through so early in the game. Often times the contestants are pushed quickly into complex, punishing movements without being taught the basics.
This can be a recipe for a medical disaster, and if you watched the premier last week, you know that two people have already landed in the hospital. At no point does losing weight justify sacrificing your health and well being!

Personal trainers, unjustifiably, can develop a bad reputation from this show. The trainers on the Biggest Loser are often shown screaming at the top of their lungs at the contestants in a way that appears to be nothing short of bullying. While trainers should be great motivators, they can push you to
succeed without screaming at you! If you’re afraid to hire a personal trainer because you think you’ll be yelled at, don’t be! You can shop around to find someone who fits your personality!

Despite its faults, this show has done wonders in motivating Americans to take control of thier health and start pursuing their fitness goals relentlessly. We strongly encourage you to watch it and follow along as it will show you
that anything is possible when it comes to achieving your fitness and weight loss goals! The show airs Tuesday nights at 8pm on NBC.

If you want to be pushed, motivated and encouraged like the contestants on the show, we can help you with that too! For just a few more days, We’re still offering 3 FREE personal training sessions with the area’s best trainers when you sign up for a package of 18 sessions or more. And we promise…no screaming, no hospital visits, and you don’t have to get on a scale in front of the entire country like they do on the show .

Call Mike Now at 888-872-7961 ext.1 to learn more or click here for more info. This offer expires on September 30th so jump on it.

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I recently came across this article that I thought would be eye opening to people who are trying their best to pursue a healthier lifestyle. As a health professional, I am always conscious of making sound decisions when it comes to nutrition and am committed to helping my clients do the same. Part of that is raising our clients’ awareness level of the trends in public health and the support systems that exist around it.
Unfortunately, in the case of this article, it seems that one
health professional’s mission to raise awareness of dangerous
foods comes to an abrupt end in the name of preserving business.
It’s sad that this negative publicity exists, but I think you’ll
find the doctor’s position here is quite inspirational. Click on the link below to read more about it.

Enjoy!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090813/ap_on_re_us/us_doughnut_doctor

Click the link below for a special message from me…

Personal Trainer Germantown Maryland

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The election is just around the corner.   By this time next week, we are going to know who our next president is going to be.

I just received my sample ballot in the mail.   Among our choice of voting for a new president, there are also many other offices, judicial positions and legislature that we are supposed to vote for.

It’s overwhelming, really.  Those other votes are important but they really require you to do some research on your own
to learn more about those candidates since the presidential race trumps them in size and magnitude.

We are living in an interesting time.   In the middle of a global economic crisis.   These things happen about every 20 years or so and we always bounce back from them.   We did so in the 30′s, 50′s, 80′s, and will today.   This one is no different and it too will pass.

Financial and government leaders are doing what they can to resuscitate it.  The market will adjust and correct itself back to normal.   You and I have no control over it.  The only thing we can control is how we let it affect us.   We must continue to be consumers and not rattle the system by being fearful and losing confidence in it.

So who am I voting for?

ME!

Me, Myself, and I.  Me, Me, Me, Me, Me!

No, this is not some arrogant ploy to say I could do things better.  No way!  Those guys are warriors.  They go into office for 4 years but come out looking 10 years older.  No thanks!

I’m voting to concern myself with improving the things I can control.

Last time I checked, those were my health, my fitness, my mindset and my education.

Watching the financial news takes me on a roller coaster ride that makes me feel helpless.  Therefore, I’ve limited my exposure to it.  I won’t give the news media the satisfaction of letting myself fear and worry.   I will not be their puppet.

Therefore, I’m investing in me – because that’s all any of us ever really ‘have’.

Your health is our wealth.

Put it first.

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote…

“You spend your health acquiring your wealth, only to spend your wealth later in life in an attempt to re-acquire your health”

One thing is true: No matter what happens this November, I’ll still have my mind and body to deal with – so that’s where I’m putting all my focus.

What about you?

Are you voting for everyone else but forgetting yourself?  If so, there’s still time to adjust your vote so that you include YOURSELF in the process.

‘write in’ and check off YOURSELF today.

Take control of your body, mind and soul.  Stay sharp, stay focused, stay healthy.

Please, do not let the MOST precious thing you own slide under the crisis bandwagon of the financial times.  You may not have much control over these trying times, but you have a ton of control over how you regard yourself.  Your health. Your mind. Your internal peace. Your state of gratitude.

Use this time to take control of you.  And be thankful for the health you have.  It’s your real treasure here on earth.  The other stuff just makes it that much more fun to be healthy.

If you’ve been voting for others before voting for yourself, let us match you up with one of our personal trainers to re-align your focus on the things you can control and get you back on track.  Being fit and being healthy is extremely gratifying.

We live in a beautiful country with lots of freedoms and you have the freedom to put yourself first.  Exercise that freedom.

Be true to yourself,

Dennys Passeto, CPT
Achieve Fitness Personal Training, LLC
www.achieve-fitness.com
1-888-872-7961

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