TrainerJames.com » Inspiration
Getting Serious About Your Life
This guy is amazing. I read his blog, I read his book, and I am a big fan of his philosophies. Check him out! Blog Written by: Todd Durkin Website: ToddDurkin.com Check out his book The IMPACT Body Plan (In full disclosure, I did not get permission to post this. I just thought it was awesome. Enjoy!) There’s no surprise in the fact that I spend time each and every day talking with people about their goals. After all, as … Read entire article »
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My Reality Show Pitch
Guest Post by -Brett Klika (Re-posted without permission. Just a great post I found on ToddDurkin.com) Weight loss shows are a hit. Modern society’s insatiable voyeuristic appetite drives millions of viewers to tune in and watch the profoundly overweight, devoid of hope or motivation, endure overly intensive physical and emotional struggles to win a race to the lowest number on the scale. Special diets, celebrity personal trainers, hours of daily rigors, and spectacle-worthy competitions are performed daily under … Read entire article »
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STOP, THIEF!
I came home one day from university and I was pooped. I started class at 7am and went non-stop until 5:30pm every Tuesday and Thursday but this particular day I was exhausted because I had 2 exams that day. I remember I kept thinking once I get home, I have one last beer in the fridge and an Its It! ice-cream sandwich waiting to be devoured. I walked in the door, threw my bag on the … Read entire article »
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[video] Jack LaLanne dies at age 96
A great man died in his home yesterday just up the road from me in Morro Bay, Ca. Jack LaLanne is often noted as the Godfather of Fitness. He paved the way for the amazing profession I am in. LaLanne celebrated his 95th birthday with the release of a new book titled, Live Young Forever. In the book, he discussed how he kept healthy and active well into his advanced age. Just take a look at the long list of accomplishments attributed to Lalanne: 1954 (age 40): swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds (64 kg; 10 st) of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record. 1955 (age 41): swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards … Read entire article »
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If you think you are beaten…
This is a poem I made sure to put to memory. It has served me well. Enjoy! If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you like to win but think you can’t It is almost certain you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost. For out of the world we find Success begins with a fellows’ will. It’s all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are.You’ve got to think high to rise; You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger or faster man;But sooner or later the man who wins Is the man who thinks he can. ~Walter D. Wintle (There is disagreement as to where this poem originated. I discovered it a while back on the pages of … Read entire article »
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Self talk and a black eye
Would you let someone say to your face the same things you say to your mirror? Sometimes we forget how important self talk is. We forget how the scripts we repeat in our head dictate the way we perceive the world. Why is it that the world can look at a woman and see how beautiful she is but that same woman constantly reminds herself of how ugly and fat she is? Are you overweight? Really? I … Read entire article »
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26point2miles: A marathon journey by a non-runner
A few months ago, my bride would have laughed at you if you told her she would be running a marathon in November. Then one day, she signed up for one. Then she joined a team. Now she is not only rocking those group runs, but she is doing some on her own! Lucky for us, she stared a WordPress blog so others may get inspired to do what she is doing. If you have a second, please check it … Read entire article »
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Cheering for the other team
“Imagine if you didn’t have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you.” Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders! They played the oddest game in high school football history last year down in Grapevine, Texas. It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through. Did you hear that? The other team’s fans?They even made a banner … Read entire article »
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Motivation through Fear
“Motivating through fear may work in the short term to get people to do something, but over the long run I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time.” John Wooden said this. In my experience he is completely right. A coach can instill fear in his or her players, but their actions wont be sincere. It makes good for the moment, but not for the long haul. If an athlete takes pride in their work habits they will find themselves in successful situations some people would attribute to luck. Isn’t it amazing that luck comes more often to those that work hard! … Read entire article »
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Can you lose twice in one competition?
Quoting Vince Lombardi is a daily occurrence when dealing with my athletes. I am positive you have heard someone say this: “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing.” I wonder if coaches make the mistake in thinking Lombardi was obsessed with the scoreboard. The rest of the quote goes like this: ” You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” Of course, the context of this quote is within a much bigger speech, but this is its thesis. Winning can be accomplished even though the score says you were defeated. When going against a far superior competitor, winning on the scoreboard may not be realistic but going … Read entire article »
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Life Success, by John Wooden
Why was John Wooden a successful coach? He achieved personal victories before he led his team to victory. John Wooden’s Mission Statement -Making the Most of Oneself 1. Be true to yourself. 2. Make each day your masterpiece. 3. Help others. 4. Drink deeply from good books. 5. Make friendship a fine art. 6. Build shelter against a rainy day. 7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings everyday. * Given to John Wooden by his father, Joshua Wooden During John Wooden’s 40-year coaching career, his high school and college teams won over 80 percent of their games. As men’s head coach at UCLA from 1948 to 1975, his Bruin teams claimed 10 NCAA national championships during his final 12 years, including seven in a row, and at one time won 88 consecutive games. Wooden holds a place … Read entire article »
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Do you read?
Are you reading something right now? You should be! I am reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel for the third time. (I thought I would take a break from the diet and leadership books.) I encourage my friends to read all the time. I point them in the right direction as to what books I have spent time in and why I think they were important. I am also curious as to what others are reading. Since dropping cable a year ago, the bride and I have saved over $1200 we would have spent wasting our lives in front of the tube. Also, did you know Amanda and I saved over $1400 by canceling our cable over the last 12 months? How long has it been since you guys had cable? When I … Read entire article »
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U R What U Eat…Mentally!
You are what you eat…mentally. One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all”. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” Anyone who says the books they read, the music they listen to, and the shows they watch do not influence them is wrong. The influences may not be apparent at first, but how we … Read entire article »
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Your body is your sword
This is an illustration I heard Mike Leach, Head Football Coach at Texas Tech, use for one of his players: Your body is a sword Think of a Pirate. They live by the sword, and die by the sword. Are you going to flail it around? Are you going to throw it out there swinging without looking? Or are you going to sharpen your sword, learn to use your sword. When you become a student of your craft, only then will you rise above the rest. … Read entire article »
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