Last weekend, Nova Scotia experienced its first mud run/ obstacle race.  Mud Hero toted a 6km long run across diverse terrain, 16 obstacles along the way including walls to scale, slides and fireman’s poles to descend, beams and cargo nets to traverse, all covered with lots of mud… and let’s not forget that this all took place on a ski hill. 

In the past few years, obstacle racing has experienced a rate of growth that may be unprecedented in the history of participatory sports, and registration for this event was so popular that a second day of racing was created to meet the demand.

Their website states that:

“Mud Hero is the ultimate place to scale new summits. Conquer your fear of muck, madness and mayhem and embrace your love of friends, fitness and fun. Crush your inner wimp as you crank your adrenaline to push yourself and your fellow Heroes to the finish (without spilling over laughing).”

I, of course, was somewhat of a sceptic.  The first ever mud run… at a ski hill… it’s going to be a clusterf@#$. Parking.  Too many “keeners” jacked up on too much Redbull.  Absolute chaos with all the different starting "waves”.  Backlogs at the obstacles along the way.  It’s going to be a nightmare.  BOY WAS I WRONG!

EVERYTHING that I've heard following the event has been overwhelmingly positive.  I am thoroughly impressed, and tip my hat to the event organizers at Crazy Canuck Events.

As I listened to the recaps of last Saturday, I began to think of all the subtle life lessons that could be taken from this muddy, gritty experience:

Lesson 1
Sometimes life gets a little messy.  That's okay.  Make the most of it.  Don’t let a little muck get ya down.  Pulling through the other side of a mess it what growth and learning are all about.

Lesson 2
It’s not always the obstacles that are hard – sometimes it’s the journey in between.  I’m sure climbing over those walls was a son-of-a-gun, and sliding down the fireman’s pole was nerve-wracking for some... but I bet none of them compared to running up and down a ski hill. 

Lesson 3
The obstacles in our way may not be as tough as we envisioned… or how we view them from a distance.  We create visions of daunting obstacles and devastating obstructions along our journey and when we finally get there... they're actually not that bad.  Stay positive.

Lesson 4
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat”.  We often look at a situation and see two solutions: follow the masses and plow through it or avoid it all together.  Far too often we can tackle these situations with a little creativity (or craziness) - we can go over, go under, stray a little from the pack and create our own style or “hells yeah”, take the bull by the horns and plow on through – we don’t have to get stuck in the black-and-white.  Sometimes we can conquer a fear or prove that we’re a little stronger or better prepared than we thought by overcoming that barrier…

Lesson 5
… or sometimes going around is the wise decision.  Now, as much as I’m saying “buckle down and overcome”, there are times when the wise, excuse-free choice may simply be to circumvent an obstacle.  This might change our course a bit and may make our journey a bit longer, but the important thing is that we end up back on track headed forward in our journey.  Be honest with yourself when answering the question, “why can’t I do this?”

Lesson 6
Don’t be afraid to reach out for a helping hand – you might be surprised.  You’ll be shocked at the camaraderie that some of those seemingly super-serious, GoPro-sporting, Camelbak-toting, Vibrams-wearing super-studs (and I use that term in a gender-neutral manner) display.  Don't be afraid to ask for help (and don’t be afraid to be that person who glances over their shoulder to see if you can pull someone over when you reach the top).  Karma’s a son-of-a-gun!

Lesson 7
Sometimes all the mud won’t come clean and you’re left with a little reminder.  Despite how much you scrub or what chemicals you use, that nice white t-shirt is always gonna be a little off-white and the eyelets of your sneakers will always have a bit of mud caked in them as a permanent reminder of your journey.  It’s okay to wear those badges with pride – you were brave enough to step up to the start-line and to get a little dirty.

Lesson 8
The correlation between our efforts and the results attained is a valuable one.  The preparation that we put into something is pretty much guaranteed to be reflected in the outcome that we achieve. 

Lesson 9
It’s not always about speed (and those of you who know me, can attest to how tough that is for me to write).  The fastest competitors completed this event in a little over 33 minutes.  The slowest.... well .... who cares?  Not only were they brave enough to start, they were strong enough to finish – and who am I to talk, I didn’t even put my sneakers on!

To all those people who completed this event… Congratulations.  I'll see ya next year!

As with the rest of our lives, we often develop patterns and habits in our physical training routine (that’s right folks, I’m actually going to write about training).  Generally, working out with a specific goal in mind is tough.  It usually means that we’re focusing on improving things that we’ve outline as weaknesses (which means we’ve gone through the process of identifying these areas – critical self analysis can be shitty) and identified these as priorities.

Our human wiring predisposes us towards positive reinforcement – that is we are more inclined to repeat actions that elicits a favourable response – so we tend to opt for these behaviours (one of the reasons I suggest not using food as a reward).  So in our “workout world”, we tend to do the things that make us feel good – or make us feel like we’ve had a really great workout – these naturally become our preferences.

Now, here comes the part where I take back some of my previous words…

As part of the Resolution Roadtrip series that I wrote to kick off 2013, I wrote a blog on doing the things that you make you smile, and hopefully you’ve been able to accomplish that to date.  But with about 15% of 2013 behind us, it’s time to buckle down and get serious about the goals that we set (and refined) over the past 8 weeks.

So, don’t get me wrong, feeling great after a workout is motivating.  It increases the likelihood that we’ll come back and have another one.  That’s great if workout frequency is our goal (hopefully that habit has been established), but it’s time to bear down and focus on the priorities - why are we busting our butts in the gym.  It’s time to walk into the gym after a long day of work and say, “I’m gonna bust out that workout that kicks my ass and own it!  Why?  Because in order to achieve my goal, I have to!”

What do you want to achieve? 
What are you prepared to do to achieve it?

A few days ago, I shared a post from Ido Portal on my Facebook page (this guy has some pretty awesome philosophies on movement – and some pretty amazing ability).  In his post he talks about how we all “want” to achieve certain standards.  We want to lift heavier weights or perform certain movements proficiently, but he notes that so many of us haven’t accurately assessed the requirements necessary to achieve these standards.

Lou Holtz, a famous football coach from Notre Dame encouraged his players to ask themselves the question “What’s important now?” 25 times throughout the day as a means of keeping themselves focused on the task at hand – for them that task was winning the National Championship. 

What’s important for you? 
Right now? 
Tomorrow morning? 
Tomorrow at lunch time? 
When you lace up your sneakers?

** If you’re at the stage where you are just starting out – you might want to go back and read the Resolution Roadtrip, establish a starting point, develop your game-plan and bookmark this post for another month down the road after you’ve had a chance to play a while.

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, in fact I’m not a huge fan of any Hallmark-exploited festivity – but I might as well use whatever opportunity I can to make a point.

I’m the last guy that anyone should turn to for relationship advice, but I have been in the fitness game for a while, and I realize that a romantic relationship(s) has a lot of close similarities to the relationship we have (or should have) with our own health and fitness.

1.       There has to be some commitment – one-night-stands tend to be unrewarding.  Making a healthy choice once in a while just doesn’t cut it.
2.       We seldom experience “love at first sight” - it usually takes a while to nurture the relationship;
3.       You have to respect your health.  It too can go “all crazy on your ass” if you don’t take care of it;
4.       Either relationship can elicit a heart-poundingly good time (both of which can improve health… wink)
5.       There are gonna be some ups and downs (no pun intended) – the key is working through them and coming out better off on other side;
6.       Things do get easier as you go along;
7.       Sometimes you need to spice things up a little;
8.       Worse case scenario for both… death.

… and a few differences between romantic relationships and our relationship with our health:

1.       Breaking up with your health is not an option (well I guess maybe it is but we typically call that something else);
2.       Your health won’t run a key down the side of your car or throw your shit on the front lawn when things go to hell;
3.       Diamonds, flowers and candy don’t help your health - the anatomical heart is not for sale (at least not legally);
4.       Your heart won’t be with anyone else – it’s yours for good so take care of it!

Well this is the final installment of my Resolution Road Trip, and today I’m going to be “that guy” to talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to goals and resolutions – failure.

You might remember the scene from G.I. Jane where Flea busts his knee in SERE training and Instructor Pyro asks him if he is hurt or injured.  Hurt means you walk it off and keep going, injured means that you give up and quit.

Well, I have a similar question when we lose sight of our goals, “Is it failure or is it a setback?”

Failure is simply a matter of perspective.  “One man’s failure is another man’s setback!”

A setback is the “hurt” of our road trip.  A point where we’ve veered off-course from our Plan of Action: you became distracted and goofed; your willpower was challenged and you succumbed to pressure; your schedule has become overwhelming and you’ve strayed from your PoA, but you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and forge forward to see a new day.

A failure indicates finality.  “I’m done, I’ve failed, and that’s that!”
 
A setback allows you to revisit The 7 Tips (they seem so official when I write that in capitals), maybe tweak your goals and re-work your PoA to something which is more manageable at this time.

A failure allows you bury your face in the pillow, only after taking your goals and PoA, balling it up and throwing it in the nearest garbage can along with the handful of Kleenex.

Suggestions for minimizing “setbacks”
Call these my “Bonus Tips” for success.

Be honest with yourself.  At numerous points along our road trip there were questions to ask ourselves, gut-checks to be had, and if at any one of these points we’ve been dishonest, then we’re fooling ourselves into believing that things are better than they are.  If things aren’t better… admit it and do something about it.  If these attempts don’t work… admit it and do something else.   If you’re struggling and you need help… then admit it and ask for help.  Things will not change if we don’t do something about it!   If we reach the point where we lack any forward momentum, then we’ve been tricking ourselves for a while thinking that things were going okay and we’d pull through it.  Be vigilant in looking at your progress, be honest.

Don’t worry about others.  I find that very frequently, when I talk to friends and clients about goals, objectives and their progress towards these there are a lot of references to what other people are doing or what presumably has worked for other people.  Who cares!?  Facebook statuses lie!  They’re not you.  They don’t have your life.  They don’t have your background.  Honestly, what they’re doing probably doesn’t even impact your life.  Concern yourself with your set of circumstances and the steps that you are taking (or not taking) to make that better!

No excuses.  YOU set a goal!  YOU developed a Plan of Action!  YOU were responsible for implementing these action steps!  The bottom line is that the onus lies with YOU to bring this to fruition (or at least to re-evaluate and make an adjustment so that YOU can).  And if things don’t go as planned, then YOU fell short of the expectations that YOU set for YOURSELF.  That’s the bottom line, so stand up, take responsibility, and move forward.

Suggestions for turning “failures” into “setbacks”
Remember, setbacks aren’t fun, but the important thing is that we keep moving forward and maintain some of that momentum, however little of it remains.

Try to find the positive and learn the lesson.  From every bump in the road there is the potential for a lesson to be learned.  What went wrong?  What were we doing right at the time of impact?  If the  bump is a repeat, how was our approach to it different than before and was this approach BETTER?

Tomorrow is a new day.  Despite setbacks today, tomorrow is a chance to start again with fresh outlooks, a modified game plan and renewed interest in success.  Don’t delay… don’t “wait ‘til Monday” to start.  Start tomorrow with a clear mind and ready to meet your challenge head-on.

No excuses.  Much like my “Bonus Tip for Success”, you can’t project sub-par performance elsewhere.  All of the reasons lie within.  Here’s a re-post of little video to put this in perspective.

Smile more!  That smile will help control your emotions.  It’ll keep things a little more positive and a little less glum.  It’ll keep the outside world (who are ready to make themselves feel better with someone else’s shortcomings) from fueling our feelings of failure or our instincts for excuses.

So as we proceed forward and begin to evaluate the “success” of our road trip, remember, having the courage to start is in itself triumphant.

Some say that if you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived.  With life we innately accept some risk, and with risk comes a heightened potential for “failure”.  It’s how we recover from the “failures” that determines our success in life.

This wraps up Road Trip Resolution series with My7 Tips for Successful Resolutioning.  I hope that they have provided some thoughts towards making this year, and the ambitions that you have set out for yourselves a success.

If you’ve missed a blog or two, or want to recap I have provided links to them below:
Day 1: What Lies Ahead
Day 2: Hit the Gas! [Tip #1 Start Now]
Day 3: Directions [Tip #2 – Set Goals and Make a Plan]
Day 4: Smiles and Laughter [Tip #3 – Enjoy It]
Day 5: The Long Haul [Tip #4 – Think Long Term]
Day 6: That’s Better [Tip #5 – Don’t Think “Perfect” – Think “Better”]
Day 7: Pit Stop [Tip #6 – Rest and Relaxation]
Day 8:  9-1-1 [Tip #7 – Get Help]

Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).

Moving down our list of tips, today's post is essentially a sequel to something I wrote last year  (I'm always happy when a year later I look at something and still consider it valid - it makes it feel a little more concrete).

Last January I was inundated with the emotions of others.  Lots of people were expressing a lot of emotions and I wrote a blog for them entitled “Enjoy”.  Hopefully today’s tip will be pre-emptive and help us move forward on our “Resolution Road Trip”.

TIP #3 – ENJOY IT

Resulting from the realizations I had last year, I now include this thought in pretty much all of my discussions with clients and people looking for advice on how to move forward:  "Do things in a way that will keep you happy.  Start to pick away and remove the superfluous BS from your life that you do not enjoy.  If you’re not enjoying something, figure out why the hell you’re doing it."

So as you sit down and begin to create your Plan of Action (PoA for all you acronymically-inclined people out there – and yes,  acronymically is MY word) ask yourself the question, “Will I enjoy doing this?”   And as you answer, be 100% honest with yourself.  Is it just that this sounds hard and I don’t really feel like exerting myself?  Do I really know that I won’t enjoy this particular choice?  A tough workout might seem daunting, and may even leave us a bit sore, but the feelings of accomplishment afterward may be overshadowing.

If you don’t like running, it doesn’t make sense to include running 3 times a week in your PoA.  If you don’t like fish, it becomes counterproductive to state that you are going to start eating white fish twice a week as a good source of protein.  You will begin to loathe that particular activity, it will become burdensome and before you know it, you’ll be finding any and every excuse in the book not to do it.  Suddenly we are not following our PoA and we become frustrated and prone to giving up. 

If the answer to the question “Will I enjoy doing this?” is legitimately “yes” – perfect!  If the answer is “I don’t know”, place an asterix beside it, revisit this later, and if you truly find yourself not enjoying it, think of how to remedy this.  If you immediately spout “NO WAY”, think of other things that you will enjoy doing that lead toward the same result.  Yes, some of these alternatives may take a little longer and appear as more of a scenic route, but hopefully we’ve come to terms with the fact that this journey is more of a marathon than a sprint.  And hey, you may find that as you proceed along your resolution road trip and you revisit your PoA, some of the things that made you initially curl up your nose may become a little more appealing - so keep an open mind.

As we look to develop habits which will help us endure this road trip until our final destination, we must surround ourselves with things that make us smile.  It sets us up for being able to sustain these behaviours once we have reached our destination.  Arriving at our final destination smiling makes staying there a lot more promising.

Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).

I'm not sure why I'm finding so many articles and videos analogous to our lives and our journeys towards better health lately, but as I lay in bed this morning listening to the sound of silence, my beautiful little 3-year old daughter asleep in her room.... I read another.
 
This article tells the story of a young athlete from Tennesee who stops mid- race to help a fallen competitor.  Pretty selfless right?  A kid forgoes the chance to potentially win  to help someone else - their competition no less.

How many of us reading (or writing) this post get/ are so caught up in our own lives, our own goals, our own accomplishments that we overlook the people around us who are struggling with their lives or with things in their lives.

It's great to utter a few words of encouragement as we breeze by.   Shit, it might just be the right words that this person needed to hear at that particular time.  Lucky huh!?  It would've been easy for Seth (the boy in the article) to utter a quick "come on man, get up, finish strong" as he ran by his fallen peer en route to finishing his own race - he might've even won the race, clocked a PR.

Sometimes people need more than a word or cliched race slogan as we blow by them in our lives.  They need us to stop what we're doing and actually care about them.  There's a big difference between appearing to care (lip service) and actually giving a rat's ass.

So be honest... Do you know someone that if you gave them 5 minutes of your time... maybe 10.... maybe an hour out of your busy schedule, it might make a marked impact on their life?  Hey, I'm not suggesting that you forfeit the race... you can carry on when you feel that they're in good hands.

As human beings we are innately wired for this type of interaction - I think it's engrained somewhere within the definition of humanity.  We as human (or maybe that's humane) beings are meant to be compassionate, it gives us a sense of value, a feeling of contribution to the communities in which we were intended to dwell. I guarantee, seeing someone else's life change for the better because of something you've said or done far surpasses any physical award or commendation.

While Oprah terms it "paying it forward", others tote it as "karma", one of my Twitter chums (and yes, my awesome Dad) @FC4A tweets "it will start a reaction of the same. Observe how far a little kindness can go".  I dare ya.... try it!

I've been chomping at the bit for the past three months, eager to spew out some thoughts and let my fingers do some talking.  Ever since I posted “Choices” on November 17th, I’ve been wanting to write a sequel – come on, trilogies are the big thing aren’t they?  So finally, a culmination of reading, personal reflection, and a number of recent readings have led to this...

“It's too hard, only if you think that it is...”

Our behaviour depends on our attitude.  It’s as simple as that!  There are loads of books and articles out there on success and positive thinking.  I don’t care.  It’s my turn!

I’m going to go a bit beyond the whole “when you smile the whole world smiles at you” thing here.  I’m going to push some buttons and tell you to get out of your own way, exit the pity party in which you convince yourself how rough things are, and change your attitude – your success depends on it (and this applies to all facets of life – not just results in the gym)!

London 2012.  The Summer Olympics are upon us and I love it.  Every four years you find yourself spending an afternoon watching equestrian jumping and wondering what advantage cocaine would give the rider (Eric Lamaze reference).  But amidst the doping scandals come some of the most amazing stories of success amidst injury, illness, loss and hardship.  In recent Games: Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette skating to bronze days after her mother died of a heart attack; or  Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic, who fell into a three-metre deep ravine while on a training run breaking four ribs, puncturing a lung, and goes on to win a Bronze medal.  What is it that enables some people to preserver and conquer adversity?

They breathe the same air as we do.  They hurt like we do (probably even more).  They bleed the same colour blood as we do.  They have feelings like we do, and laugh and cry and get disappointed like we do.  I’m sure they even think about quitting.  But somewhere they’ve learned to push all of these things aside and focus on what they really want.  Whether through relentless training of their bodies and minds, or through the trials that they have had to overcome in their lives, they have developed the ability to focus, and think about nothing but success. 

There are all kinds of numbers thrown out there as to how much more capable we are than we actually think we are.  The bottom line is that WE ARE!  Our brains are SOBs that dictate how we respond.  If something’s tough, our brains say “Ouch!  Okay enough.  You should stop now!”  They really are our downfall. 

And yeah, I know some of you are sitting there thinking “Come on, these are Olympians!  How can you even use them as an example?”  But right there, in that simple thought process, you’ve given yourself an excuse to give up.   You have processed what you read and come out thinking “I can’t”, and that is the biggest roadblock to achieving what you are truly capable of.  “I can’t” is, at best, an assumption which limits the actions that we are willing to take and can easily translate into “I don’t want this bad enough”.   

So yeah, you know what?  You do have to change your mindset and force yourself to adopt a more positive attitude.

“Lose the ‘tude dude”

This is something that my father used to say to me when I was growing up, when I was acting a bit too big for my britches and it was time to be brought back to reality.  Well I’m gonna use it here to tell you to eliminate that negative thinking.

If you're like most people, you've endured some tough things in your life. Jobs, moves, relationships, births, deaths – all of these fit the description.  In reality, you ARE able to deal with hard things.  So instead defaulting to “this is too hard” or “I can’t do this!”, or, seeing slow progress and speedbumps as signs that you aren’t succeeding or can’t do something, remind yourself, "Of course it's going to be hard, but I've done other challenging things in my life (insert specific event here), and this isn't any different.” Whenever you start thinking “it's too hard" - to stick to my plan, to finish this last set of my workout, to turn away from that plate of desert, think about some of challenges you've faced in the past – yeah, those ones... the ones that have got you to where you are today.

“Fake it ’til you make it”

If ya can’t rationalize and convince yourself that YOU REALLY CAN DO THIS – hell, then trick it! 

-    Laugh!  That’s right, find some humour in what you’re about to endure.  “1 more set (insert uproarious laughter here)... all right... here we go!”
-    Enjoy it despite how tough it may seem.  Enjoy the feeling of hard work.  Know that the reward at the end, the satisfaction that you will feel is worth every bit of hardship that you’re about to endure.  Feel the reward already building.
-    Develop a positive mantra or positive thought pattern that overrides the negative.  I’ve vowed that if I ever run another marathon, I’m going to write in black Sharpie down my arm “Oprah did it”.  It might not be the most positive line, but I guarantee it’ll keep me going.
-    Exude positivity!  This differs from cockiness.  Stand tall, smile proudly.  This will tell your brain that YOU ARE IN CHARGE!  Flopping to the ground, gasping and groaning like you’re about to die communicates to your brain that you are done – good luck recovering from that.
-    Go Zen!  Don’t fight whatever it is you’re finding tough, flow with it.  Find grace in it.  Become one with it.  (okay, maybe a little too much at the end there).

“Embrace the suck”. 

This is military jargon translated into “the situation is bad... you might not like it... but deal with it”.  Why?  Because right now, in this situation, quitting is not an option!  “I WILL NOT QUIT!”   Do you really think that the last set of burpees is going to kill you?  It might feel like it, but likely it won’t. 

“Success is always sweetest when effort is the hardest.”  Most things are deemed valuable when we have to pay a lot for them... the same goes for hard work.

“Pain is temporary; quitting is forever”...  or at least until next time.

Quitting is setting up that room for future excuses.  Do it once and it becomes  so easy to do it again.  Somewhere your brain has to say... “I’m not giving up”.  I am dedicated to this cause – whether it be a workout, a weight loss endeavour, business or a relationship.  It’ll push you beyond what you thought possible and reset that standard for the next time you feel like quitting.

“See it to believe it”

I’m a big fan of “the mental video tape” aka visualization.  Play a quick movie in your head of you doing the task at hand.  See It.  Feel It.  And then achieve it.

I recently stumbled across Rachel Cosgrove’s “Fit Female Credo” (I’m not sure where it’s been hiding the past 2 years).  If you change a few of the words it’s a list of 16 fantastic gender-neutral “rules” that can be applied towards getting some great results from training (and life):
     #1 Act as if you are fit (I’ve changed this from “Act as if you are a fit female”) 
     #11 Think about your thoughts!
     #12 Attitude is everything!
     #16 Stop rationalizing and making excuses!


What do you want? The change is really up to YOU.