Pillars of Training - A Good Book

An important part to my overall training plan and daily routine is taking time to focus on mindset.  One piece of my mindset building is to read about 15 pages each day.  The books that I select typically focus around training and other’s achievements in reaching their goals or books with strategies on bettering my business practices which I ultimately find carrying over into life practices as well.  

I have read 17 books in the last 12 months.  If you are interested in the titles or would like recommendations, visit my books list on my Facebook page.  I update it each morning that I finish a book.   My book selections come from recommendations that I receive from friends or various conferences and educational sessions that I attend as well as books that I see discussed in my daily news feeds.

My ultimate goal with reading is to set my mind for a positive and productive day.  Sometimes the insight provides a practical application to implement in my routine, other times it is the mentality that if they can do it so can I.  The ultimate goal is to always take things back to basics and attack each challenge one day and one step at a time.  

People often comment to me that they don’t have time to read.  My answer to them is that I don’t have time not to read.  The books that I have read are definitely pillars in my journey - some that will be re-read several times throughout my path and some that provided inspiration along the way.  I challenge you to read along side me in 2016 and report back on how it impacts your journey.

Courage to Start. Strength to Endure. Resolve to Finish.

Time for Me

Welcome to the holiday season.  An extremely busy time of year.  With holiday events, school events (if you have kids), and normal day-to-day routines, things tend to get really crazy.  It is at times like this that it is most important to take time for yourself.  This will keep you focused, healthy and happy as you take on the hustle and bustle.  

People often ask me how I manage to get my workouts in amidst all of the other things going on.  The answer is stated perfectly by Dr. James Rouse - “It's all about priority and when you make the priority exercise you can always find the time.”  

We are all provided with the same 24 hours every day.  How we choose to fill the 24 hours  is up to us as individuals. We have much more control than many believe.  When writing down your task lists for the day - do you list your workout?  When prioritizing do you give it the weight it deserves?  My answer to these two questions is YES.  My workouts set my mindset for the rest of the day and generally yield more productivity than when I press on without them.  

There is no question that sacrifices are made in the process of choosing me.  I have learned that the things that I say NO to to allow my schedule to evolve are typically not items that were supporting my overall visions and goals.   Not everyone understands the choices that I make, but the important thing is that I do.  

I challenge you in the busiest time of the year to make yourself a priority.  It will help you embrace the chaos and leave the holiday without being defeated by it.  Make your health and happiness your gift to you.  


One Day...One Step.

Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Workouts?

Yesterday, while participating in my usual indoor cycling intervals class, an interesting discussion ensued amongst the participants.  The workout happened to be an extremely difficult one - interval builds reaching 120% of FTP - not once or twice but 5 times in a row.  It was hard.  My legs and heart were burning, and I was definitely challenged.  There were five of us pounding through the same workout modified only by individual FTP’s and it was a challenge for all of us.  Yet, when the hour finished, we were all happy to have reached the completion goal for the day, happy to have a solid workout behind us, another step in our journey complete and an additional brick in our foundations.  

The discussion that surfaced as we were completing the workout was if our coach assigned this exact workout to be completed at home on our own trainers or on our own at the gym would we have pushed with the same intensity that we worked as a group or would we have given up when it got hard and made the specs of the workout easier?  The consensus seemed to be the later.  We don’t want to admit it but we tend to put more effort forward with others around us.  Competitive instinct.  On our own, it is easy to say I am going to back off or to convince ourselves that what we are doing is working hard enough.  

We were provided with guidelines to focus on cadence maintenance.  When the going got hard, we all wanted to slow our cadence but we all pushed to keep it up!  I found out that the more I slowed my cadence the harder the pedaling actually became.  Who knew…  

I leave you with a challenge.  Ask yourself - am I pushing myself to my maximum?  Is my RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) where it needs to be to get the most benefit from the workout in front of me?  What do I need to be accountable to myself and to my workout to gain the most benefit.  

Challenge yourself this winter as our training comes inside to push yourself hard and don’t back down.  If you need more accountability - find a group to challenge you!

Enjoy the journey.  One Day...One Step!