Focus

"You can have big plans, but it is the small choices that have the greatest power. They draw us towards the future we want to create."

- Robert Cooper

I've been reading a lot lately. Currently I am reading "Build Your Mind, Your Body Will Follow" by Vincent D. Cocilovo. This is not your typical "fitness" book, however the title says it all.

Oh the mind is a beautiful thing, yet it can still be the "poison pill" we all strive to avoid. The difference? Focus.

Last week during my cleanse (during which I lost 8 lbs. by the way) I had to make a choice on where to direct my focus. Was I going to focus on my hunger and how much I missed simply "chewing food"? Or was I better off focusing on the goal of cleaning out my system and spring boarding back into clean eating? At times it was hard, but I chose to focus on the latter and it really made things easier for me.

There has to be a "bigger picture" for each of us. It will be different for everyone (as it should be). Keep in mind that the bigger picture (long term goal) is compromised of "snapshots" (short term goals) that we build upon along the way. So metaphorically speaking we should take snapshots along the way, making sure that they are helping us create our desired bigger picture.

BTW - Week one of the Men's Health Belly Off 2008 (MHBO) is going great. I'll post some stats soon. I am taking "snapshots" each week , but I'm going to save posting them for a while hoping for a more dramatic effect.

Oh Pooh!

On Tuesday I began what has become an annual January ritual for me; the colon cleanse. Be warned before you click on this link there are some images not suitable for the squeamish.

http://www.blessedherbs.com/

I am on day 4 of a 5 day liquid only fast. My "meals" consist of a packet of the "toxin absorber" mixed with apple juice (5x a day), plus some vegetable broth for lunch and chicken broth for dinner. That's it. No chewing required.

In the past, Day 3 was always the hardest, but this time Day 1 seemed to be tougher. I think it was because up until I began the cleanse, I had been overeating and over drinking so my body was like "What the F?"

I'm not going to lie. I'm hungry. But at this stage (less than 48 hours to go until I break my fast) it's just as much a mental as well as physical challenge.

And yes...there has been some interesting "stuff" coming out of me.

Why do I do it? 2 fold I guess. One is as I age I do believe that getting all the crud out of your system is a good thing. To use the analogy of a car engine, I've got years and years of motor oil all clogged up in me. Even though there is no history of colon cancer in my family, it can't hurt to be proactive. Secondly, this experience has given me a far greater appreciation for food and what I will choose to put in my body.

"So why aren't you skinny if this is your 3rd cleanse?" you ask. Great question that I don't have an answer to. Maybe I wasn't ready to make "life changes". Maybe I gave into temptation too quickly and easily. Maybe I wasn't about to turn 40. Maybe I just didn't have a plan going forward.

Well now I do.

Sunday I break my fast & I'm gonna eat like a pig. NOT...just checking to see if you are paying attention as you read. I'll be having some egg whites and oatmeal. Probably the finest in quite some time. Monday I will be begin the Men's Health Belly Off 2008 challenge. I have a friend who will be doing it with me. Although I will be modifying the meal plan, I love the workouts and am a big fan of Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training whose principals compose the workout.

In addition I have the growing coalition (growing in a good way) as a support group. I plan to be more active (at least weekly) in both postings and comments.

One of my fitness inspirations, Jon Benson, has a program called M-Power, where the M's stand for Mind, Meals, Muscle & Motion...in that order. Get your thinking straight and the rest seems to fall into place.

There is a saying that success leaves clues. We'll, there are tons of them on these blogs.

Start Strong Monday

Hey everyone -

I've got a few minutes & I wanted to share this with you. Sean Phillips (Bill's brother) has a great website called Start Strong Monday. Each week he streams a 3-5 minute audio file which I find to be packed full of good insight.

This current series is a 5 parter having to do with New Years resolutions and what he calls "obligation based motivation". Man, it's like he opened up my brain and looked right in.


I hope you all start your week off on the positive. Enjoy this.

Motivation Part 1: http://www.startstrongmonday.com/vol042
Motivation Secrets Part 2: http://www.StartStrongMonday.com

Make your decision

I have still been lurking, it's just that I have been totally swamped at work. My company just launched a new website and as the head of IT at my job, it's my responsibility to make it work. I've been putting in long hours and worked right through the New Years Holiday. Not that it mattered too much since with 2 small children, we weren't going out to paint the town. My wife has been great and very understanding of the demands placed upon me these last few weeks. Thanks baby, I love you!

Now...I have so many great things I plan to blog about this year, I just need a bit of time to get over this professional hump.

So, the question is...have you made your decision?

• Is this the year to make it "happen" for you?


• Will 2007 be different than 2008?


• In what way?


• Have you written your goals?


• Do you read them daily?

Once you make the decision, I mean really make the choice and eliminate any other option...the rest is easy. I'm not kidding.

Happy New Year - Happy New Life