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Live passionately & powerfully!

Fit Coach Phil

Beth reminded me after I wrote the article of her version of the Vision Board which she uses daily. She actually prefers what she calls a “Vision Notebook.” She keeps a small journal in which she pastes her pictures, phrases, affirmations and such that remind her of and excite her about her goals.

The beauty here is that she can carry it around with her and have it easily accessible whereas I guess I would look a bit silly transporting one of my Vision Boads (of which I have attached a photo) under my arm when I travel. I am going to start working on a Vision Notebook today!

Several people also let me know that they cut pictures out and write phrases on 3 x 5 cards (another of my favorite methods) and post them strategically around the house and in their car. This is perfect. Remember the objective is to have your goals and desires in front of you often so they can be easily programmed into your subconscious mind.

Remember also that you can use Vision Boards for ANY of your life goals and desires. Okay, making your Vision Board work for you. Here are a few tips based upon questions I received:

1. Should I just stare at my Vision Board?

As a Coach I find affirmations alone rarely work for most people because even though they are a repetitive daily discipline they are harder to attach emotion to. Boring!

Spend a few minutes each day looking at a couple of the pictures on your Vision Board and as vividly as you can imagine yourself in the scene. For example, even though I have 3 vehiciles now one of my goals is to buy a brand new Toyota 4-Runner and pay cash later this year. I have a picture of the vehicle I want so when I look at it I imagine getting into it, starting it up and how it feels to drive it in as much detail as I can.

My MAIN goal for 2010 is to increase my Team Beachbody Coaching income to $10,000 or more per month so whenever I visualize myself driving I see myself going to a TBB convention where I am speaking and getting recognized for my accomplishments – vividly, in detail and with as much emotion as I can. Remember how you used to love to daydream as a kid? I’m giving you permission to!

In addition to a few short focused sessions each day take the time to just glance over your Vision Board. Its best to have it in a place where you see it often.

2. How many goals should I focus on?

That’s up to you. Some people prefer just one goal with lots of pictures supporting that goal or put a lot of pictures that just make you feel good about your goal. For example, if your goal is a certain income level I would recommend writing that out in a positive statement and placing it in the center of your board or on the first page of your notebook. Then place lots of things that emotionally support your goal. I have dollar signs, postive abundance statements and things that I want to buy on a board like a $350,000 vacation home in Costa Rica that Beth and I love.

You may want to try this if you use a notebook: place your affirmation statement (mine is in the center of my board “I am a Diamond Level Beachbody Coach earning over $10,000 per month”) on the center of each page and then place a few pictures around it. Think I’ll try this… it just came to me!

Again, do not overthink this. The objective is to get emotional (excited baby!) in your subconscious about things you want to have, be, do, see, etc.

3. How should I arrange a Vision Board?

However you want!

4. Should I set interim goals?

No! My suggestion is to focus on the BIG picture goal. Remember your subconcious has a mission of getting you to your goal in the shortest, fastest and easiest way possible. Your task is to get those goals passionately imprinted upon your subconscious and then let the Universe (God, the Big Kahuna, whatever makes you feel comfortable) guide you on the best method.

5. This all sounds kind of like New Age-ish BS to me?

Actually visioning is a major tenet of EVERY major religion (I’ve studied many!) and has been proven scientifically through the fields of Quantuum Mechanics and Meta-Physics. It works. The only question is whether YOU are going to take advantage of it!

I always encourage people to undertake a study on their own. In this day and age all you need to do is type a phrase into a search engine online and you have all the data you need at your fingertips. By the way, I have no idea HOW that actually works I just know it works so I take full advantage of it just like I know Visioning works!

6. Use these 2 times to your advantage.

The best time to program your subconcious mind is just before going to sleep at night. Most people I know watch TV before bed and then fall asleep with those images imprinted on the brain or worse yet they worry about stuff.

I like to take 5-10 minutes for a Vision Board session and then as I drift off to sleep I use questions and statements that I direct to the Universe: “what is the best way to achieve my goal?” “what are the steps I need to take tomorrow?” “please bring the right people / situations / products into my life to help you me achieve….”

You may be sleeping but your subconscious mind NEVER shuts down. Take advantage of this!

The other best time to program your subconscious is upon first awakening in the AM. I want my Vision Board to be the 2nd thing I see (my wife being first of course!) so upon arising I spend a few minutes with a cup of coffee and a focused session again asking questions and directing statements ot the Universe so I know my subconscious mind is busy in the background all day.

If you have never used a Vision Board I encourage you to put one together today and then to use it as I have outlined here. I’vegotten personal here and included a photo of one of mine as an example. Try it… you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Do you have Health and Wealth goals?

If a couple of your primary goals are healtha and wealth related then be sure to check out the 13-minute video at the link below:

http://www.Fit4LifeCoaches.com

I’m always looking for a few good people to add to my Beachbody Coaches Team or who want to join my Team Beachbody Club and have me as their coach.

Here’s to your success!

Fit Coach Phil

But here’s the problem… this approach rarely delivers real and lasting results! Want proof? Visit any gym in any city and what you’ll see is the same people putting in all of that effort but rarely do you witness anyone who really lasting results. As a matter-of-fact most people putting in all of the sweat equity lament their lack of results!

You see the biggest problem with implementing this “discipline” mindset is that this kind of thinking is primarily controlled by your conscious mind. It forces you to get too involved with the “how” rather than focusing on “what” you want. The human brain is the MOST powerful and complex machine in the Universe. Right now your brain is processing over 400 million bits of information.

The reason you are not completely overwhelmed by all of this is because your subconscious brain is busy filtering out most of this. The amount of information your conscious brain processes is about one-half of one-millionth of one percent of the amount your subconscious brain processes!

In a nutshell, the conscious brain is responsible for first coming up with your ideas but the subconscious determines whether or not things will actually be accomplished. This is because the conscious brain gets easily distracted – the average person loses focus after about 6 to 10 seconds – while the subconscious is always at work attracting to you just what you want… whether that be good or bad!

The whole key to your success in any endeavor – including having the body you really desire and deserve – is to feed your subconscious the “what” and let it go about worrying about the “how”. Scientifically it has been proven that whatever our subconscious mind is focused on – determined by the input we provide – it has to go after. This is what its purpose is and you can use it to your advantage. How?

The easiest and most effective way I have found to program the subconscious is through the use of creative visualization. Most of us don’t have the time or the discipline for creative daydreaming (remember the 6 to 10 second rule above?) so I encourage you to go after your goals with the use of a Fitness Vision Board.

Creating and using a Fitness Vision Board is a really simple but powerful tool when it comes to programming your subconscious mind to achieve what you want. Making one is really easy and can be fun.

1. Get a poster board or a cork board
2. Go through several fitness magazines and cut out photos that inspire you and meet the ideal you are striving to achieve. You can tell if the photo is a good one for your board by the emotional impact it has on you.
3. Clip out any words or phrases that seem to inspire you and of course you can always write them in by hand too
4. Arrange and glue your images to create your personal Vision Board.

A few of my clients over the years have created a Vision Board for their bedroom or their office and also turned their refrigerator into one. Many have taken pictures of their boards and carry the picture with them or use the photo as a computer screen saver. There are no right or wrong ways so do what feels right to you.

Now what? Once you have created your Vision Board place it somewhere you will see it often. You want it in your “vision” often. You will also want to take a couple of minutes once or twice daily to really focus on it.

What are you really accomplishing? Remember your subconscious brain is wired to go after whatever you tell it to and to find the easiest, fastest way there. By now visually focusing on the “what” your subconscious will start finding the best “how”.

Okay I have to admit that when I first heard of Vision Boards I was pretty skeptical. But when I read and then realized that many of the greatest people throughout history have attested to the power of visualization I decided to give them a try. The results have been phenomenal and I still use Vision Boards regularly. Each one of my boards includes my fitness goals, career goals, possession goals, travel goals, etc.

Don’t be surprised if within a few days or weeks you start to notice a shift in the ways you feel about food, exercise and life in general. Watch for signs the Universe is giving you such as a workout program that inspires you or a new Fitness Buddy coming into your life. Trust me, Vision Boards work!

Tomorrow I’ll provide a few tips to getting the maximum benefit out of your Vision Board. In the meantime get busy and get your board started today. One day soon you’ll be glad that you did!

Live Passionately and Powerfully!

Fit Coach Philip

PS If you want more of the “science behind Vision Boards” I recommend doing a Web search as there is a lot of great information out there. Also read “The Vision Board Book” by John Assaraf.

One of the things I love (sarcastically of course!) about New Years is all of the people who feel the need to share their New Year’s Resolutions with me.    Now before you start the “hating” let me explain.  I absolutely think setting goals to better and improve oneself is a most excellent idea.  I am all for it.  My issue is with trying to do it by setting resolutions for the New Year.

Most people get way too ambitious and set some pretty lofty goals.  Again, this is good.  Trouble is most of these resolutions have no substance behind them.  “In 2010 I resolve to get in the best shape of my life” for example.  What does this mean?  How will you know when you have achieved your goal? 

Or maybe you resolve to achieve a concrete and measurable goal such as “I resolve to lose 20 lbs this year”.  Where is the plan?  Without a plan all you have is a wish and dream.

Of course the main reason I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions is because it is practically expected (and proven!) that most people give up way too early.  This is simply an easy out.  I hear many people joke and laugh about how they didn’t last one week or one month with their resolutions and usually follow up with “oh well, there is always next year.”

No there is not!  There is today.  There is tomorrow.  Changing your behavior is easy IF you TRULY understand one basic principle:

It is NOT the behavior you need to change… it is YOU who needs changing!

You see if you want to attain a certain goal then you need to become THAT person who is worthy of the goal.  And you do this through small incrememental behavioral changes.  

I have discovered over the years – as a Fitness Professional, Life Coach and as a Human Being who could use some improvement that the best way to do create change is by implementing Daily Action Items.

Daily Action Items

Set a goal.  Then make a list of what you need to do to achieve this goal.  Identify the Daily Action Items you need to complete (or avoid!) every day to achieve this goal.

Daily Action Items are simply a checklist of behaviors and tasks that you are committed to completing every day.  If the area you want to focus on is losing weight and becoming healthy for example your DAI might be:

1. I will work out for a minimum of 30 minutes every day
2. I will NOT consume any soda (insert your own villainous items here!)
3. I will drink a half-gallon of water every day

Every morning write “Daily Action Items” on a 3×5 card or use a notebook as I do.  Then as you complete each one check it off.  Pretty soon you will start to see a pattern of where you struggle by noting the items you continually fall short on completing.  Every month re-write your action items based upon your goals.

Let’s get personal for a minute.  I’ll share my current overall goals with you.

1. Increase our net income to over $10,000 per month
2. Get my bodyfat % back down to single digits
3. Re-focus on my Spiritual life

To accomplish these goals I have identified the following 8 Daily Action Items for January:

1. Read my affirmations 5X each in the morning
2. Conduct 15-20 minute AM Meditation with a focus on Manifesting
3. Complete 15-minute Stretching & Core Routine
4. Workout 30 minutes or more (Insanity or CrossFit)
5. Drink 96 ounces or more of water
6. Work 3 hours per day minimum on Beachbody business
7. Read my affirmations 5X each in the evening
8. Conduct 15-20 minute PM Meditation with a focus on Gratitude

Personally I complete these (or attempt to!) Monday through Saturday.  By establishing Daily Action Items I accomplish 2 critical tasks for success. 

1. I am always focused on my goals
2. I always have a daily plan of action

Every morning I write “Daily Disciplines” as I refer to them at the top of the notebook page with my “To Do” list for the day.  Then I make 8 little boxes numbered 1-8.  As I accomplish an item I check it off for the day.  Before I go to bed I review to see what I missed and if I continually struggle with one or more items I focus more on these.

At the end of every month I re-write my goals and then re-do my Daily Action Items list for the  coming month.  This way I am ALWAYS taking responsibility for my own successes and failures, always focused on self-improvement and always moving forward. 

Try this simple yet powerful approach.  I’ll be happy to help you (I’m a Certified Life Coach as well as a Fitness Pro!) if you are having a tough time.  Just e-mail me (philip at beachbodz dot com) and I’ll get back to you.

Here’s the best you ever in 2010!

Fit Coach Phil

Below is the newsletter I received today and I enjoyed it so much I thought I would pass it along.  With everyone talking about New Years Resolutions and such I find this post to be very timely.  Here it is…

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha

We’re several days into the New Year, and many of us are still basking in the glow of a fresh start.

Every year, January brings renewed optimism for change, for a better life, for a better you. And that’s a wonderful thing.

It’s wonderful, because this fresh start gives us a chance to reinvent our lives and ourselves. It allows us to reinvigorate ourselves, to shed the baggage of the previous year and do anything. Anything is possible!

That is a gift, my friends, and I suggest we make the most of this gift. Not just by creating and sticking to resolutions  but by reinventing the way we live.

Here’s how.

1. Let go.

Many times we are held back by the tangled web of previous failures, commitments, emotions, barriers. We cannot change careers because we’re used to what we’re doing and it’s too hard to change. We cannot find time to get healthy and fit because we have all these other things to do. We cannot find time for our loved ones because we have too many commitments.

This is all old baggage. A fresh start demands a clean slate. Let everything from the past go (easier said than done, I know). Clear your plate and your palate.

Let go of attachments to what you’ve been doing for the past year, or years. Let go of failures. Let go of fears you’ve built up. Let go of reluctance. Let go of your ideas about what your life has to be like, because that’s the way it’s evolved so far. Let go of long-held beliefs and habits.

You have a fresh start. Let go of last year, and start anew.

2. Decide what matters most today.

Forget about your goals for all of this year. Instead, decide: what do you want to do today?

What matters most to you, to your life? What are you most passionate about, right now? What excites and invigorates you? What would give you the most fulfillment?

Often the answer is in creating something, making something new, helping other people, becoming a better person, working on a project that will be an accomplishment to be proud of. But whatever your answer, have it clear in your mind at the beginning of the day.

This might be something you work on all year, or it might just last a month, or it might last a week or a few days, or just today. It doesn’t matter. What matters is today — that you’re going to work on this with all your heart, today. Tomorrow … we’ll decide on that tomorrow.

3. Clear away distractions and focus.

Clear away email and Facebook and Twitter and your favorite blogs and news websites and social forums, clear away the iPhone or Blackberry or Android or cell phone, clear away all the little nagging work and chores and errands that pull at your attention, clear away the clutter that surrounds you (sweep it off to the side to deal with later).

In fact, if you can, shut off the Internet for awhile. You can come back to it when you take a break.

Now, find focus. Even if only for 15 or 20 minutes at first, but preferably for 30-60 minutes. You can take a break and check your email or whatever after you’ve focused. Focus on the thing that matters most. Do it for as long as you can, until you’re done if possible. Feel free to take breaks, but always return to your focus.

When you’re done, focus on the next thing that matters most, and so on.

4. Find happiness now.

Don’t look at happiness as something that will come when you’re done with this goal, or when you’ve attained a certain accomplishment or certain amount of wealth or material goods. Don’t look at happiness as a destination, something that you’ll get later.

Happiness is possible right now. Always remember that. When you push it back until later, it’ll never come. When you learn to be happy now, it’ll always be here.

When you’re doing whatever you’re passionate about, whatever matters most, whatever you decide is worthy of your time and heart and focus … be happy! You’re doing what you love. And that is truly a gift.

5. Reinvent yourself, every day.

Every day, you are reborn. Reinvent yourself and your life, every day. Do what matters most to you, that day.

It might be the same thing that mattered most yesterday, or it might not be. That isn’t important. What’s important is today — right now. Be passionate, be happy, right now.

You’ll have a fresh start every single day — not just on January 1. And that, my friends, is the best thing ever.

PS… I stumbled across Zen Habits from a post that was on www.success.org. I highly recommend checking out this site for inspiration!

Happy New Year!

Coach Phil

We’re getting ready to head to Costa Rica in a few hours.  Pretty excited! 

I know that while I am there I will continue to train every day.  I really enjoy it when I have to do straight bodyweight training and am forced to be creative.

Here’s a “fun” little workout.

1 Push-up

2 Squats

4 Jumping Jacks

Every round add 1 Push-up then double the Squats and Jumping Jacks.

Round 2 would be:

2 Push-ups

4 Squats

8 Jumping Jacks

Round 3 would be:

3 Push-ups

6 Squats

12 Jumping Jacks

Keep adding a push-up and then doubling that number for your Squats.  Double the Squats equals the number of Jumping Jacks.

Continue on until you hit a benchmark of either 10 Push-ups (beginner may do Kneeling Push-ups but work on getting into a full Push-up position ASAP!) or 25 Push-ups (advanced) or until you simply cannot do anymore.

This is a very simple but very effective bodyweight training routine that will rock your metabolism. 

You gotta try it if you want real results!

Coach Phil

PS This is NOT a sexist post!  I fully expect the ladies to be rocking out FULL Push-ups.  Coach Beth does 60+!

After putting up a Facebook post yesterday about working out locally in Myrtle Beach at Fitness Edge Beth and I received A LOT of questions from those of you on our Facebook Fan Page  from West Virginia (and it seems there are lots of you!) who asked about where to train in that area.  

Admittedly we haven’t gotten to WV much in the past 2 years (although we plan on changing that this year) we do highly recommend Sherry’s Custom Fitness in Vienna WV as our fave workout facility.

Sherry, picture above approaches fitness from the same angle we do – highly functional movements where you train your body to do more work in less time while having fun.  She has taken CrossFit training principles and created an X-Fit class designed to help everyone get in great shape. 

Sherry and her staff also provide several other cool classes – Yoga, TurboKick, Boot Camp, etc – as well as Personal Training services and rehabilitative training services.

If you’re in the Parkersburg area check out Sherry’s Custom Fitness on Grand Central Avenue in Vienna. 

–> Click here to visit Sherry’s website <–

Maybe we’ll see you there for a workout in 2010!

Philip & Beth

The key to getting maximum lean-muscle building and fat-blasting results lies in teaching your body to do MORE functional work in LESS time. 

If you don’t understand this then your workout for today is to stand in front of the mirror and repeat to yourself “to get lean and fit in 2010 I WILL  focus on training my body to do more work in less time and forget that conventional training crap”… 100 times or more!

Okay all kidding aside we know you are super-busy as it is the Holidays.  But that is NOT an excuse for slacking on your workouts.  Here is a great way (and by great what we mean is big results in little time!) to rock your body in just 5 minutes.

Step 1.  Pair 2 exercises together. 

For our example we’ll use Push-ups and Bodyweight Squats.

Step 2. Have a timer handy.

Step 3.  With a running clock transition between the 2 exercises as such…

:50 Push-ups /  :10 Squats

 :40 Push-ups / :20 Squats

 :30 Push-ups / :30 Squats

 :20 Push-ups/ :40 Squats

 :10 Push-ups / :50 Squats

That’s it.  Keep the clock running and do as many reps as possible in each time block by using the work-rest-work prinicple. 

A lot of people who have tried this workout actually have told us they prefer to do it the first time using Jumping Jacks and Squats but we personally like to pair an Upper Body with a Lower Body. 

You can choose and use any 2 exercises you like.  Sometimes I will pair Kettlebell Swings with Burpees if I am feeling particularly fat and lazy and need a kick in the tail. 

Beginners… you may substitute REST as one of the exercises but we really encourage you to do something that keeps you moving even if it is just a Boxers Shuffle in place. 

Want to REALLY blast some fat from your body?

Here are some suggestions for maximizing the benefits from our real world laboratory (our clients bodies!)

1. Do one of these 5-minute routines in the AM and one in the PM.

2. Complete one of these using bodyweight exercises at the end of your traditional workout.

3. Replace your useless long, slow cardio with 1-2 of these sessions.

4. Mix the exercises up regularly

There you have it.  5 minutes.  No excuses.  The challenge has been given!

Because we care,

Fit Coach Phil

Here’s a great, simple bodyweight “Fitness Challenge”

Complete 5 Rounds for Time

50 Crunches
40 Air Squats
30 Staggered Hand Push-ups
20 Alternating Lunges
10 Regular Push-ups
Run 1 lap

The lap should be a few hundred meters to a 1/2 mile maximum. A 1/4 mile works nicely!

Beginners start with 1/2 the reps or just do 3 rounds.

Enjoy!

Fit Coach Phil
Beach Bodz Fitness

If you know me at all then you know that I am very ANTI-processed foods and ANTI-grain consumption.  I follow, as best I can, a Paloe-ish diet plan called “The Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson.

Here is a recipe for Banana Almond Pancakes that are completely grain-free from Mark and man do I LOVE these!

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping teaspoon of almond butter

Instructions

• Mash the bananas
• Add the egg
• Mix well
• Stir in the almond butter
• Warm a little more butter in the pan
• Pour batter into small cakes
• Brown on each side

If you want more pancake consistency add a little more almond butter.

These are very tasty and if you eat them with even more almond butter slathered on top instead of Maple Syrup then you have one kick-butt, high-energy, insulin-regulating, fat-burning breakfast in less than 5 minutes.

To learn more about The Paleo Blueprint click here.

Enjoy!

Coach Phil