Self-Responsibility...

Look in the damn mirror and please wake up people. Blame the trainer, the job, income, genetics, injuries, etc.... For the fact that you look and feel just like a stack of buttered pancakes with your shirt off.... Or you can pick up a Webster dictionary, find the word "responsibility", come to a magical epiphany, and truly understand that no one but you chose to make that large chicken parm pizza the cornerstone of your nightly ritual. Put on your big boy or girl pants, peel the cheese soaked wool from over your eyes stop pointing the finger and try to take "responsibility" and more importantly take "control" of your damn life... Responsiblity...The first and most important step in getting to any fitness goal.

Dear FaceBook Exercise Enthusiast...

      Dear 90% of my News-feed exercise enthusiast who post videos of their "bad @$$" work outs, shirtless selfies, claim that your "Beast Mode" or hash tag "#doyouevenliftbro",
I offer you a reality check as an early Christmas present from me to you, in the form of helpful holiday advice.... 

1. The video of you performing those one legged KB burpees on a stability ball?.... IS the furthest thing from Bad @$$, and just plain STUPID. And your video of you "max dead-lifting".... though I bet your super proud...you should be embarrassed. Form sucks and you are weak.
2. New rule. Unless you are a Professional Bodybuilder, Professional Fitness Competitor, Model, or a Pro Athlete, chances are really high that you should keep your shirt on....for eternity. You are NO WHERE near as in as of good of shape as you think.
3. Beast mode huh? Just because your stronger than your dweeby, weak @$$ friends and your shmedium short sleeve shirt is starting to feel a little more snug these days, does NO WAY mean you are even close to Beast Mode. Unless you are joking please refrain from using that phrase.
4. #doyouevenliftbro? By the picture of you working out, I was gonna ask you the same damn thing. Going to planet fitness, and deadlifting their one and only barbell and performing some feeble smith machine shrugs a few times a week... In the fitness world Does NOT mean you "lift" and far as I'm concerned gives you ZERO right to hold yourself to a higher standard than the lifeless zombies sweating on the elipticles and recumbent bikes. Just like "Beast Mode" you better be joking when you use this hash tag. 

Do You Commit to Your Member?

         Members need consistency, routine, and accountability. Why would we offer them a 10 pack of training sessions?.... Or allow them to go month to month? NOTHING less than a one year contract for our members. It's NOT for us (the club), Its for the member. It's our responsibility to our members. We require them to sign a Contract/Commitment. Have you ever thought about providing that member with their own contract, signing it ourselves, and being held accountable to that member?
Here is an example of what everyone of our members should receive from their respective gym... club.

"_____________,Thank you for joining our club and welcome to our family. This contract will serve as our commitment to you. Over the next 12 months we promise to hold you accountable to your fitness goals, as well as to continually motivate and inspire you. Over the next year, your motivation will go through ups and downs. You will be under the weather.You will be extremely busy with work and family. You will be tired. You will not feel like exercising. This is normal. These and a combination of a slew of other reasons have and will always be there. These have and always will distract you from your fitness goals. As your coache(s), our promise and responsibility is to you, and is to NOT quit on you, to NOT give up on you, and ultimately NOT let you quit on yourself."

_____________ Club Representative 


We understand life does happen, if any of the following 3 happen will will gladly terminate your membership providing documentation for:

1. Loss of employment

2. Moving more than 40 miles away

3. A medical reason preventing further activity   

If and when a member shows signs of dropping off, please show them this contract and remind them of your oath to them.

Your Trainer is Like a Unicorn

        Just like Unicorns....Fitness Trainers are "Magical" Creatures. Imagine the daily task convincing someone to hire you as their fitness champion.... after this following conversation...

1. This is not going to be easy.
2. You are going to be tired.
3. You are going to be physically uncomfortable (sore).
4. You have already stated you have no time, but you are going to have to make time for THIS into your already super-busy life.
5. You're NOT going be able to eat the foods you love. You might be hungry
6. You are going need to change how you socialize.
7. You are going to have to go to bed earlier.
8. I know you hate "Fitness" and "Dieting", but I'm gonna do my best to make this fun.
9. You will have to pay for me to hold you accountable to this plan of tasks that I know that you HATE.
10. This will NOT be cheap.
11. You are NOT going to get to your fitness goal(s) tomorrow.
12. You are going have to do this the rest of your life.
13. Your so called "friends" and family will be resentful of your change in lifestyle.

"Great....Now let's get you signed up"

Just like Unicorns.... Fitness Trainers are "Magical" Creatures.

Break The Rules

    Break the rules.... And be creative. Its alright to think outside the box and do what YOU love. Only a few of us are fortunate enough to find a career that allows us to create....this is NO excuse to not use and develop this part of our soul. Sadly, since birth our instinctual need to be creative has been completely squandered. "Color within the lines, tuck in your shirt, get a job with great benefits."
    Just because it is your hobby, you enjoy it, you invest time and energy into and it doesn't translate into revenue... does not mean there is no value in it. The value to expand your mind and have autonomy is absolutely, without doubt, priceless. Paint, sing, dance, write, whatever....I give you permission to take a break from your "normal", "mundane" life, find that one thing that allows you to create, you truly love, and immerse yourself in it. This is success and happiness in my book. You owe it to yourself, your friends and family to be happy.... Break the rules and be creative.

Lessons Learned from Flywheel Miami

       I am a super-fitness snob and I do not love indoor cycling.  In fact, I truly believe it's one of the last activities we should be doing after sitting on our arses all day. Most of us already have super-tight hips, weak-disengaged core, terribly-rounded shoulders, blah blah blah, etc, etc and now you we are suppose to get into that same horrible position which contributed to these disorders?... and peddle for 45 minutes? Just saying.

       Three Months ago while in Miami on business, I met a Fitness Rock Star (Aleah Stander) who invited me to take her "spinning" class at FLYWHEEL MIAMI.  I heard of Flywheel here in Boston, but for whatever reason have never ventured in. I didn't know what to expect, but "Macho" Frank accepted the invite.

       The first thing that caught my attention was the "crazy" ENERGY karate choppin' me in the face as soon as I walked through the front door...it set the tone for what was soon to come. The staff were equally as fun and energetic as the DUBStep screaming over the speakers.
I've taken indoor cycling before.... But the level of COACHING here was Next Level. From the Leadership, cuing, tone of voice, to the personal connection to the audience.... It was awe inspiring. The instructor actually got off her bike to penetrate the stadium style sea of roughly 60 bikes just to add to the experience. I was quite impressed. Great Coaching.
        The choice of MUSIC only added to the value and swag of this class.... This particular class had a compilation of the likes of Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., and Mumford and Sons. It flowed seemelessly. I almost started rapping along with Biggy, but I was way too short of breath. The music was frickin' dope.
        After class while I was changing my footwear, I noticed that the lobby was filled with instructors and "FLYWHEELERS" mingling well after the "toture" had ended. These FLYWHEELERS spilled into the nearby coffee shops. This was an amazing display of the close knit-fun Family/CULTURE/community FLYWHEEL Miami has built. Really... Isn't this why we do what we do? Culture is King,
        Overall, it was an amazing experience. Since that morning in Miami, I have been to at least a dozen FLYWHEEL classes all over the country. So, I guess FLYWHEEL has erased my deep-hatred for indoor cycling. Though the fitness snob, strength and conditioning coach in me still believes there are way better things for our sedentary population to do in terms of exercise, Flywheel Miami over delivers in the following areas.... yet I still will go despite my beliefs.
1. Energy
2. Coaching
3. Music
4. Community/culture
       As far as i am concerned these four create the perfect storm for Fitness Success and I believe anyone in the fitness industry could learn a few things from the fluidity and the prasumed ease in which FLYWHEEL Miami delivers it's fitness mojo.
I Don't care how smart you think you are and how great you thnk your program design is...nothing trumps Culture, Energy and Coaching. Ultimately the Experience and the ability to make members happy and coming back rule.
Bottom Line FLYWHEEL Miami knows exactly what it is... Kick ass indoor cycling, kick ass music, kick ass energy, kick ass people... Nuff Said.
Try FLYWHEEL Miami (Indoor Cycling Stadium Gods and Goddess's)

https://www.facebook.com/aleahstandercoach
AleahStander.com

Focus and Fitness?

   

 

       It is pitch black as the alarm goes off. We barely enough time to shower, eat, and get the kids ready for school. We hurry into to work just to have every single second of that 10 hour day consumed with work related stress. Then....Over an hour of bumper to bumper traffic on the way home. We walk in the door with only to have a huge laundry list of chores waiting for us before dinner. Eating Dinner is perhaps the only time all day that we actually got to sit down in silence (maybe), relax and eat... After all of this....After this long @$$ day... and now that your finally comfortable....  You must change your clothes, leave the warm comfort of home just to go and get beat-up by some meathead trainer, who is only going to make us more uncomfortable. This is the reality we deal with.
      Weight Loss is SIMPLE. Everything else in your life is HARD, There's only so much energy and FOCUS one human can muster. 
      Usually when it comes to our Priorities, Weight loss, Health and Fitness fall to the bottom of the list. Its not that we feel it is not important. It is just that when it comes time to EXECUTE, there's a little or no energy/focus left. 
      Sadly, This is where we FAIL. 
     Try this.... Make a list of the top 10 things that cause you stress.... or lose your focus. Slowly start eliminating these negatives from your life. As your focus on your health and fitness increases, so will your happiness.