Ingredients to my Fitness Success

New Years 2012 I made a resolution to be in the best shape of my life.  Since making that choice there have been a number of elements (or ingredients) that have been part of my continued fitness success and I want to give credit where credit is due.  Some of these things came along prior to my 2012 resolution, but they have all played (and continue to play) a role in getting me to better health.

Why?  For me, starting with "why?" has been a huge focus as of late.  Said differently, starting everything with purpose.  Why did I want to be in the best shape of my life?  The simple answer is for my kids.  I wanted to set an example for them, to live a healthy and active lifestyle.  With obesity all around us, and your health being a choice in most instances, I wanted to do whatever I could to help my children be able to make the right choices for their own health.

Choice & Discipline.  Working out is hard, don't kid yourself, it's not easy.  So if I was going to get in the best shape of my life then I not only needed to make that decision but also to have the discipline to stick with it.  That means going for a run even if it's raining, waking up and working out even if I'm tired and eliminating excuses.  Choices that I made that have helped me reach my fitness goals:
- Cut out the TV watching.
- Run 5km-8km two or three times each week.
- Wake up at 5AM and workout before going to work, and do this five or six times each week.
- Make and take my lunch to work each day.  Choose healthy food.
- Eat a big breakfast, medium size lunch and a small dinner.
- Take my vitamins every day.

My Amazing Wife.  I have the best wife ever.  She is completely understanding and supportive of my fitness goals, which does wonders for motivating me for continued fitness success.  Thank you Kylie!

Gerard Recio (an example).  I met Gerard, a fitness professional, a number of years ago when I was playing Ultimate, and he's the one who introduced me to Nike Fuel.  Gerard has also given me some exercise pointers along the way.  With his regular updates and posts on social media, G continues to set an example for me and many other people.

Nike Plus & +Nike Fuel (Setting & tracking results).  If you can't measure something, how will you know if you're getting the results you want?  Other than a scale, Nikeplus and Nike Fuel help me track my progress in many more ways than just weight.  Pace, distance, Nike Fuel points and calories are just a few ways I track my fitness goals and results.

Sean T (Insanity).  Insanity is as it sounds, insane.  From a home workout point of view, this high-intensity, six-day a week workout schedule tipped my workout routine to the complete opposite side of the scale from where it used to be.  Insanity did a few things for me: it got me comfortable with working out at home, it got me used intense workouts (suck it up!) and it helped me understand the need for discipline if I wanted results.  I still use Insanity elements in my workouts today.

Duncan Parker (Ultimate).  If you haven't heard of Ultimate, it's basically a mix between frisbee, soccer and football.  Duncan is one of my best friends and the one who got me involved in Ultimate many years ago, a self-officiated sport that made exercise fun.  I played for a number of years at a mid-to-high level until my knees couldn't keep up with all the cutting and jumping; I had to choose between stop playing Ultimate to save my knees or risk needing knee surgery.  As much as I miss the sport, I know I made the right decision for my body.

Guido Wisotzki (Brown bag it).  Guido is a physiotherapist near where I live who was helping me with some back pain I was having.  Somehow, during one of my appointments, we got on the topic of overall health and Guido made a comment about the positive effects (in many ways) of brown-bagging a lunch rather than eating out for lunch.  Over a year after having Guido say this to me, making healthy choices and taking my own lunch to work each day, this has been a big part of being in the best shape of my life.  By-the-way, Guido fixed my back pain too!

Who knows, maybe the ingredient list will grow...  Stay tuned.

Adam Hart (Eat whole foods).  Adam was brought to Ideon a few weeks ago to talk to the company about healthy eating and the Power of Food.  Adam opened my eyes to the world of whole foods and how by simply adding them to my diet and continuing to eat the things I like that there are tremendous health benefits.  I have more energy, feel better, have a stronger immune system, sleep better and I'm giving my body the nutrition it needs.  Don't take my word for it, just ask the number of Ideon team members who have also added whole foods to their diet.