Getting my "Figure" back...

So, after I went to the Triathlon World Championships and represented Team USA in Vancouver, Canada I knew when I got back I wanted to get back to lifting weights. My body had started to look more and more like an endurance athlete. I had no definition, had lost my abs and no matter how clean I ate my body looked soft.

















I first noticed this when I did my Ironman. The first clue was when I was absolutley not going to wear a sports bra top at my Ironman because I did not like the way my midsection was looking. Here I was in what you would think would be the best shape of my life, ready to become an Ironman yet I wanted my abs covered up. After my Ironman and looking at the pics of me in the race



I knew my body needed a break from all of this endurance and I missed my abs and my defined arms but when I qualified for the World Championships I decided I needed to stick with the endurance a little longer to have the experience of going to the World Championships so I kept running, biking and swimming and looking more and more like an endurance athlete.

Now that World Championships are over and I had an amazing experience I am ready to get my "figure" back. When I say "figure" what I mean is looking like a figure competitor. I don't necessarily want to compete but I do want to look like I could compete.

So, since the World Championships(5 weeks ago)I have done ZERO cardio, aerobics, or anything endurance related. I have instead been doing 5 days a week of strength training and interval style cardio using burpees, jumping jacks, etc. My body quickly dropped a couple pounds and above all looks more defined and I am getting my "figure" back!

I love manipulating my training to make my body look different. It is so amazing!

Anyway, today I decided I wanted to go out for a run. It has been 5 weeks. I would do the short 2.5 mile loop that I was doing leading up to the World Championships. I was doing it once a week and timing myself and each week getting faster until I had a personal best the week before I left for Vancouver. I headed out today and felt pretty good. Amazingly after not running for 5 weeks I was able to match the time I did the loop in 2 weeks before Worlds. So, I didn't set a personal best but I haven't lost too much over the 5 weeks.

And I am getting my abs back! Go "figure"!

Goal setting is for couch potatoes

Just finished a CD by Dr. John Eliot called The Maverick Mindset. Interesting stuff.

His big idea is that goal setting is for couch potatoes but once you are off the couch and accomplishing something you need to think about more getting into the mindset of working on the process and not what the actual goal is. Decide who you want to be, what you want to become and then get into the mindset every single day to become that person. But don't focus on a specific date when you will accomplish a specific goal. You might limit yourself.

In other words, goal setting is great for getting you focused on something like losing 10 pounds or saving $25,000 in the bank. These are very specific goals that you can focus on but once you have got that down and you are doing the things that successful people do should you continue to try to set goals or should you work everyday to be the best you can be at what you do and who you are? And not limit yourself to a specific goal on a specific day? What can you contribute today?

It was a great CD and made sense to me. I think it goes along with my whole "What's next?" blog post that right now I am just continuing the process at becoming the best I can be without a specific goal to focus on. It is a different feeling for me being so goal oriented and always looking for What's next....Instead I am focusing on what do I have to do today to be better tomorrow in every aspect of my life and who knows where it will take me...

The Station

In 9th grade I was given this poem and to this day I have kept it. It's one of my favorites-

The Station
By Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyliic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip spanning the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true and the places of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering-waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I have my dream job!" "When I save a million dollars!" "When I get married!"

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day the lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, have more late nights, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

Congratulations to Kim LePage- You are an IRONMAN!

My client who I have been working with the last 6 months completed her first Ironman this past weekend! I am so proud of her! Congratulations Kim!

She took this goal head on. She followed everything I told her and worked hard spending hours and hours running, biking, swimming and in the gym to reach her goal of becoming an IRONMAN! Her training was not without obstacles which she overcame like a true athlete and stayed focused on her goal.

She competed at Ironman Cour de'laine where the water was a chilly 57 degrees Farenheit. She had a great swim and a pretty good bike. Her only obstacle during the race was some stomach pain on her run where she found herself having to walk more than she would have liked to but she didn't let it get her down mentally but stayed focused on finishing the day and crossing the finish line to be an IRONMAN!

Great job Kim! You are on an IRONMAN!


Pictured: Kim doing Wildflower Long Course as one of her training races leading up to her Ironman.

What's Next?

"What's Next?" I have been asked this question hundreds of times. I am an extremely goal oriented person and am always putting goals out for myself and my clients to reach so I guess people get used to me working toward - "what's next?" So they are always asking me this. The funny thing is I am way more focused on the process and experience of reaching that goal than I am on the actual outcome of the goal. Putting that goal out there give's me something to work toward to continue the process of pushing myself physically and mentally.

I completed my Ironman last year, a huge goal for me that took 6 months of focused training to close in on and successfully accomplish and then the question came- "What's next?"

My next goal was my first Powerlifting competition where I set a National Record and won 1st place which was way more than I ever expected to do. Wow! The Youtube video of me was passed around and I showed off my medal and then the question came again-"What's next?"

In the mean time I had received an email that I qualified for the triathlon world championships in Vancouver, Canada and had earned a spot on Team USA. I couldn't pass up this opportunity so I had an answer to "what's next?" I went and represented Team USA at the World Championships, had a great experience and had a personal best and now once again am getting the question- "What's next?"

At this point, I have not come up with a "What's next?" but instead am focusing on doing something everyday to better myself physically along with working towards goals for my business. I am continuing the process without having a "what's next?" Is it possible to push yourself as hard without a "what's next?"

Who knows- maybe I'll decide to do powerlifting again, or another triathlon or maybe I'll get back into the Figure competition world. But in the mean time I will wake up and train everyday to continue the process of pushing myself physically whether I have a "What's next" or not.

I challenge all of you to also focus on the process and not the outcome. Everyday wake up and do what you need to do to continue the process of working toward your goal. The process of becoming who you have to become to accomplish the goal is the rewarding part. The outcome, accomplishing the goal, is the cherry on the top!

I'll keep you posted when I figure out "what's next..." :)

Perform Better 2008- Take action!

I was so honored and excited to be a part of the Perform Better Seminar this year. I spoke at 2 events- in Rhode Island and in Long Beach. Perform Better puts on the best fitness conference I have ever been to with practical, useful information and excellent speakers. The best part was that I spoke on Friday at both events so I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the conference as an attendee and learn from the other speakers. My talks seemed well received with a lot of good feedback. I really enjoyed speaking and being able to share what I have learned over the ten plus years I have been training people.

My entire staff attended the Long Beach conference and came back with a ton of useful information. We are going to be meeting this week to discuss all of the changes we will be making. The key after a weekend like that is taking action implementing your new ideas. It doesn't do you any good to learn new stuff if you don't take action and use it. I have asked my staff to each write down ten things they learned, want to implement or took away from the conference. I do this at every conference or seminar I attend- I leave with 10 "to do's" that I am going to put into action immediatley.

We also had Martin Rooney and Bill Parisi do a staff training before the conference at our gym and John Berardi do one after the conference. Our staff got a huge education this weekend and took a giant step ahead of most trainers in the industry to being the best and now we need to take action!

World Championships 2008

Wow! What an amazing experience! That is the closest I'll probably ever be to being in the olympics and it was amazing!

I accomplished my goals with the race- to hold my own in that group of amazing athletes from around the world, not to be last and to have a personal best. I actually did 2:40 which is about 15 minutes off my personal best at Olympic distance. It is amazing when you are competing among the best there is, how much you step your game up. I can't believe I did 2:40. I actually ran under an 8 minute mile which is the fastest 10K I have ever done but again when you have the fastest people in the world running by you you tend to step it up.

They did change the swim to an 1100m swim but it was freezing cold with tough currents and waves and they actually canceled it shortly after my wave went for the rest of the competitors. I couldn't believe they canceled the swim at the world championships but I guess the conditions were that bad so I was that much prouder that I finished the swim. It was the hardest swim I have ever done. None of the men got to swim. Crazy! So, I decided that I get credit for doing full olympic since it was such a tough swim. I think I ended up swimming 1500m anyway.


It was so amazing to be in the race wearing Team USA and have people from all over the world. There were a lot of Great Britain people and Australians, Brazilians, South Africans, Ireland, and I am sure more. Go USA! At the finish line they handed me an American flag to carry across the finish line which was such a great feeling.

What an amazing experience! I am so glad I went!