Vision
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
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.
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.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Passion = Success
We all have a drive to be successful. To be successful in life, love what you do. Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability. Whatever your ability is, drive to get better. Whatever you want to be better at, make the choice. When you make a choice, have the discipline to stick with it. In order to have discipline, you need to understand why? Once you understand why, you have meaning and purpose. With meaning and purpose comes passion.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Short Term or Long Term Focus?
I was out for a run tonight and had an epiphany.
Life, and success in it, is all about whether you have short or long term goals. Think about it... Here's two examples using career and health. Short term focus begets excuses, long term focus begets success.
In your career if you have a short term focus then you're going to be looking at the dollars you're making, the title on your business card, if you're climbing the ladder or not and why you don't get recognized. With a long term focus you're going to be focused on going the extra mile, working within your circle of influence, building relationships and growing your skills.
With your health, a short term focus will cause you to be disappointed with missed goals, fill a void with food, skip a workout and/or eat unhealthy because it's easier. With a long term focus on your health you will create daily rituals that will take you closer to your goal and most importantly you will know WHY you want to be healthier.
When you focus on the long term and then do all the things that you need to do well to get there then the success will come. More often than not, if you have a short term focus then you're not going to get to where you want.
Choice and discipline, that's what it's all about. Begin with the end in mind and stay the course. Don't waver. Be strong. Persist. You can do it!
Life, and success in it, is all about whether you have short or long term goals. Think about it... Here's two examples using career and health. Short term focus begets excuses, long term focus begets success.
In your career if you have a short term focus then you're going to be looking at the dollars you're making, the title on your business card, if you're climbing the ladder or not and why you don't get recognized. With a long term focus you're going to be focused on going the extra mile, working within your circle of influence, building relationships and growing your skills.
With your health, a short term focus will cause you to be disappointed with missed goals, fill a void with food, skip a workout and/or eat unhealthy because it's easier. With a long term focus on your health you will create daily rituals that will take you closer to your goal and most importantly you will know WHY you want to be healthier.
When you focus on the long term and then do all the things that you need to do well to get there then the success will come. More often than not, if you have a short term focus then you're not going to get to where you want.
Choice and discipline, that's what it's all about. Begin with the end in mind and stay the course. Don't waver. Be strong. Persist. You can do it!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
There Are NO Failures
The meeting didn't go the way you planned. You haven't lost the weight you were hoping to lose. It doesn't look like you're going to make your monthly budget. You're not where you want to be in your career.
How do we view these events? Positive or negative? You have a choice. My suggestion is to take a potentially sub-par outcome and treat it as nothing more than a result. Don't think of it as a failure, just a result. Not only will this keep you in a more positive state of mind but it will also get you on the fast track to achieving a better result next time.
The first time I heard about this philosophy was a few years ago in an audio recording of an Anthony Robbins speech, where he said, "...there are no failures, only results." At the time the statement didn't have a huge impact, but over the next few years to now I've kept this idea in the back of my mind.
My Lean and business experience has also helped to support the "No Failure" mindset. I have a growing understanding that there are desired results and actual results; my job is to understand the gap between the two. Once I understand the gap, I need to eliminate it and achieve the desired result(s). The best part, once I reach the desired result then I need to move the desired result out even farther and create a new gap.
The gap is made up of waste (there are 8 forms of waste), outdated paradigms, WWADI (way we've always done it), fear, lack of training and many other things. Eliminate these things are you will achieve the desired results.
Leave the fails for Youtube, we want results. Make it happen.
How do we view these events? Positive or negative? You have a choice. My suggestion is to take a potentially sub-par outcome and treat it as nothing more than a result. Don't think of it as a failure, just a result. Not only will this keep you in a more positive state of mind but it will also get you on the fast track to achieving a better result next time.
The first time I heard about this philosophy was a few years ago in an audio recording of an Anthony Robbins speech, where he said, "...there are no failures, only results." At the time the statement didn't have a huge impact, but over the next few years to now I've kept this idea in the back of my mind.
My Lean and business experience has also helped to support the "No Failure" mindset. I have a growing understanding that there are desired results and actual results; my job is to understand the gap between the two. Once I understand the gap, I need to eliminate it and achieve the desired result(s). The best part, once I reach the desired result then I need to move the desired result out even farther and create a new gap.
The gap is made up of waste (there are 8 forms of waste), outdated paradigms, WWADI (way we've always done it), fear, lack of training and many other things. Eliminate these things are you will achieve the desired results.
Leave the fails for Youtube, we want results. Make it happen.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The 8 Wastes in Your Business
All businesses are full of waste. Moreover, the waste is preventing you from higher profit, shorter lead times, better quality, less headaches, better teamwork, reduced costs and so much more.
There are eight forms of waste that you need to be looking for at all times. The first seven were originally identified by Taiichi Ohno, the late Toyota executive who also pioneered other Lean concepts such as JIT and TPS. Each of these categories of waste should be treated with equal importance, none are more important than another.
1. Transportation - Using people to move material, information and supplies is a waste. Ideally, any and all transportation should be automated. People need to be used for value added work and moving stuff around is NOT value added work. Examples of transportation waste would be people pushing stuff on carts from here to there and forklifts moving material/pallets around.
2. Inventory - No inventory is ideal, but sometimes a small buffer inventory is needed due to lead times or minimum order quantities. Anywhere inventory is needed there should be a kanban in place to manage the inventory based on pull from the customer.
3. Motion - This waste is all about ergonomics. Everything needed for a task should be within arms reach; moreover, there shouldn't be any excess bending, turning or reaching for tools or parts.
4. Waiting - Waiting for ANYTHING is a waste; people, material, supplies or information.
5. Over Production - Making too many _____. Have you ever made too many copies of a document? Have you ever produced more widgets "just in case"? Do you double-enter information anywhere in you business/supply chain? If you answered yes, then you're producing waste.
6. Over Processing - This is using inappropriate tools to achieve a quality product or service. Two great examples would be using a dull axe to chop down a tree or cracking a walnut using a sledgehammer.
7. Defects - These are any mistakes or errors, both internally and externally. If a product is produced that does not meet the customer's expectations then a defect has been produced. When a process produces a defect the process should stop immediately, fix the problem that created the defect and only when the problem (and the root of the problem) is corrected should the process continue.
8. Skills - Whenever you don't take full advantage of your people's talents and abilities then you are wasting them. Involve your people in problem solving, kaizen and improving your business.
Tim Woods, just remember Tim Woods and you will remember the eight forms of waste. What do I mean by Tim Woods? Look at the first letters of each of the wastes. Taa daaaa.
Now what? Get out from behind your desk, talk to your people/team, go to the gemba, look for the waste and ask your team to help.
There are eight forms of waste that you need to be looking for at all times. The first seven were originally identified by Taiichi Ohno, the late Toyota executive who also pioneered other Lean concepts such as JIT and TPS. Each of these categories of waste should be treated with equal importance, none are more important than another.
1. Transportation - Using people to move material, information and supplies is a waste. Ideally, any and all transportation should be automated. People need to be used for value added work and moving stuff around is NOT value added work. Examples of transportation waste would be people pushing stuff on carts from here to there and forklifts moving material/pallets around.
2. Inventory - No inventory is ideal, but sometimes a small buffer inventory is needed due to lead times or minimum order quantities. Anywhere inventory is needed there should be a kanban in place to manage the inventory based on pull from the customer.
3. Motion - This waste is all about ergonomics. Everything needed for a task should be within arms reach; moreover, there shouldn't be any excess bending, turning or reaching for tools or parts.
4. Waiting - Waiting for ANYTHING is a waste; people, material, supplies or information.
5. Over Production - Making too many _____. Have you ever made too many copies of a document? Have you ever produced more widgets "just in case"? Do you double-enter information anywhere in you business/supply chain? If you answered yes, then you're producing waste.
6. Over Processing - This is using inappropriate tools to achieve a quality product or service. Two great examples would be using a dull axe to chop down a tree or cracking a walnut using a sledgehammer.
7. Defects - These are any mistakes or errors, both internally and externally. If a product is produced that does not meet the customer's expectations then a defect has been produced. When a process produces a defect the process should stop immediately, fix the problem that created the defect and only when the problem (and the root of the problem) is corrected should the process continue.
8. Skills - Whenever you don't take full advantage of your people's talents and abilities then you are wasting them. Involve your people in problem solving, kaizen and improving your business.
Tim Woods, just remember Tim Woods and you will remember the eight forms of waste. What do I mean by Tim Woods? Look at the first letters of each of the wastes. Taa daaaa.
Now what? Get out from behind your desk, talk to your people/team, go to the gemba, look for the waste and ask your team to help.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
No Excuses!
There's always an opportunity to come up with an excuse. Why? Why do people make excuses?
My feeling is that there's a few reasons why people make excuses; they don't want to deal with a potential failure, it's going to be hard work, and/or they're worried what others might say. There's probably a lot more reasons why people make excuses, but these three are the main ones. You are stronger than these things!
The famous quote that comes to mind is by the Star Wars movie character Yoda, who said "Do or do not, there is no try." Excuses fall somewhere between 'do' and 'do not', in the same place where 'trying' lives.
If you're looking for the pathway to success then you have to take the path that is free of trying and excuses. The first step on the path to success starts with choice and discipline, the choice to walk the path and the discipline to stay on the path despite distractions, bad habits and temptations to get off the path. A choice to make excuses is a choice to accept mediocrity, and if that's your choice then be happy with it and don't regret the outcome. What I believe is that we all have a choice between regret and discipline. What do you choose? I choose discipline.
Don't give up, persist. Don't try, do. Don't complain, influence. Don't keep doing the same, change. Don't settle, succeed.
My feeling is that there's a few reasons why people make excuses; they don't want to deal with a potential failure, it's going to be hard work, and/or they're worried what others might say. There's probably a lot more reasons why people make excuses, but these three are the main ones. You are stronger than these things!
The famous quote that comes to mind is by the Star Wars movie character Yoda, who said "Do or do not, there is no try." Excuses fall somewhere between 'do' and 'do not', in the same place where 'trying' lives.
If you're looking for the pathway to success then you have to take the path that is free of trying and excuses. The first step on the path to success starts with choice and discipline, the choice to walk the path and the discipline to stay on the path despite distractions, bad habits and temptations to get off the path. A choice to make excuses is a choice to accept mediocrity, and if that's your choice then be happy with it and don't regret the outcome. What I believe is that we all have a choice between regret and discipline. What do you choose? I choose discipline.
Don't give up, persist. Don't try, do. Don't complain, influence. Don't keep doing the same, change. Don't settle, succeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)