We all know that Thanksgiving is the time to be grateful for what you have, and to celebrate the amazing food, gifts, and catching up with loved ones.  However, with all the chaos of daily responsibilities and holiday commercialism we sometimes forget to take a step back and take in the moment.

Ever since I’ve developed a consistent habit of expressing heartfelt gratitude, which I now employ immediately when I wake up and before going to bed, I’ve discovered many positive situations and circumstances have manifested.  For example, many people inquire if the economy has negatively affected my fitness business.  It hasn’t.  Business is consistently increasing, and we simply do not participate in the mindset of “scarcity”.  In fact, it seems that people pursue our services, because their health and fitness is the last thing to scratch off their list no matter what is happening with the economy – good for them, and I thank them and congratulate them for realizing the importance of maintaining their health.

Ok, back to my main point of gratitude.  In my blog, <a href=”http://acdaflow.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/take-the-transparency-challenge/”>”Take the Transparencey Challenge”</a>, I stated, “I believe that just when I’ve given enough, I need to give more.  The times that I have given more and provided ten times the value, I’ve positively affected those individuals lives, and they’ve rewarded me in ways that I didn’t expect or ask for.  Give more!”

So in the spirit of “thanks” and “giving” I thought I’d share my thoughts of gratitude with my readers and hope it can keep things in perspective for some, but also to encourage others to give more.

<strong>My Thanks &amp; Gratitude</strong>
<ul>
<li>I’m deeply blessed and grateful for my wife Julie and for all her unwavering support and unbending belief in me – like I’ve said before, she truly INSPIRES me!</li>
<li>I’m truly grateful for my parents – Romy &amp; Yvonne, my brothers – Jason, Matt, &amp; Andre, and for all my extended family, and although I don’t get to see you as often as I’d like, I miss you and love you all!</li>
<li>I’m grateful for all the current and former clients of mine.  Thank you for helping me pursue my passion and making my vocation my vacation.  It’s no longer work anymore, I literally get to play and have fun on a daily basis.</li>
<li>I’m grateful for great friends.</li>
<li>I’m grateful for my great health and my ability to live a simple, joyful, and extremely fulfilling life!</li>
<li>I’m grateful for my goofy dog “Buko” for being an amazing listener and for his stress relieving abilities </li>
<li>And last but not least, I’m grateful for my brother from another mother and business partner Belton.  We’ve had some tough times, but now we’re reaping the fruits of our labor – E5 for Life!</li>
</ul>
<strong>My Reflections on Giving More</strong>

There’s no doubt that receiving is fun, but it doesn’t beat the satisfaction of the reaction in people’s faces when you’ve given them something without truly wanting anything in return.  There’s power in the act of true giving!  Like I said earlier – Give more!
<ul>
<li>Start with doing something nice for your family when they least expect it.</li>
<li>Then focus on giving back to your community in some way, volunteer for charity, or donate to a cause that resonates with you.</li>
<li>Within your occupation there’s always some way to add “value”.  It takes some creativity in some occupations, but there’s always a way to provide ten times the value, which in turn makes you more valuable to your employer and clients.  A great exercise to utilize is what’s called the “Mastermind 20″.  For three consecutive days, first thing in the morning you must write out 20 different ways you can add value or create more opportunities within your occupation.  20 ways is the minimum.  I challenge you to give it a try. I promise you’ll be surprised with the ideas you come up with, and can immediately implement.</li>
</ul>
Thanks for reading and the continual support.  Have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Yesterday I received a blog entry from another fitness professional by the name of Dax Moy. Dax has quickly become a trainer to trainers, and is the most sought after fitness professional in London. His blog “What I believe…”, hit home with me and I’m sure with many other fitness professionals. He came to a realization on the importance of being crystal clear on your own beliefs, and to share those beliefs with others whenever and wherever you can for real success to happen.
The reason it hit home with me is because I just came back from a long business trip at a very beautiful resort during which I had a lot of time to reflect on what beliefs and actions were holding me back from true success. Let’s just say I experienced a life transforming event.
Anyway, Dax issued out a challenge to all fitness professionals reading his blog to move towards a more “transparent” approach to sharing information with our clients. I agree with him and I accept his challenge to share with you my beliefs, especially with regards to my profession.
Here it goes…
“What I Believe”

• I believe that my purpose in life is to make a difference in other people’s lives through health and fitness. And through this medium I am able to not only enable a client, but help empower that client to make lasting changes. Nowadays, I’m always reminded of a quote from a mentor of mine: “Find your purpose in this lifetime and PURSUE it, and DO IT with EXCELLENCE…and fall SO IN LOVE with what you do and fall SO IN LOVE with what you’re a part of, that the lines blur!”

• I believe that true success in life is to make your vocation your vacation.

• I believe and agree with Dax Moy that fitness professionals have played the role of poor cousin to the medical community for too long. As Dax stated, “Doctors are, in my opinion, at their most valuable during trauma, but that they have no place in the promotion of health to the general population as long as they remain dependent upon pharmaceutical interventions. To this end, health and fitness professionals need to stop taking orders from medics who, despite having HUGE budgets and a global empire to support them are failing badly. They are more educated but less qualified for this role.”

• I believe that optimum health requires the harmony of these elements: strong mindset, supportive nutrition, proper cardiovascular and strength training, proper education on physiology and body mechanics, and accountability/professional assistance. These are the five elements that embody my company “Element 5 Fitness”.

• I believe that as a fitness professional/coach, you must take full responsibility and not only be qualified, but also have the experience to help empower clients to reach their desired goals. Just because you’ve read and educated yourself about fitness modalities doesn’t mean you know how to teach it. There are too many “fitness enthusiasts” who give our industry a bad rap by becoming certified personal trainers, and hurt clients because of their inexperience and inability to produce results. These individuals eventually get weeded out in the process, but it still leaves a negative connotation to the client they were unable to service.

• I believe in staying true to your “worth” in regards to your fees. Too many fitness professionals “sell out” in that they try to please everyone. Figure out what type of clientele gives you the most satisfaction and charge what you’re worth as long as you’re providing exemplary service and value. Create more value by becoming more valuable.

• I believe that just when I’ve given enough, I need to give more. The times that I have given more and provided ten times the value, I’ve positively affected those individuals lives, and they’ve rewarded me in ways that I didn’t expect or ask for. Give more!

• I believe in contributing positively in some way to your local community.

• I believe in practicing what you preach, and as a new friend and colleague of mine, Valerie Waugaman proudly states, “Live It to Give It!” In the fitness industry you must be a product of your product.

• Lastly, I believe that in order to leave a good legacy, you must first transform and develop yourself to your highest potential.

So now I extend the challenge to any fitness professional or any individual reading this to blog or comment with YOUR beliefs. Do you accept? Or do you feel uncomfortable and choose to remain in your comfort zone? What have you got to lose?

With the holidays around the corner, it’s hard to keep your head on straight when you’re constantly surrounded by sugary sweets, fattening dishes, and calorie-busting entrees. Some might say, “It’s not my fault I gained 20 pounds over the holidays. My kids, my co-workers, and even the ads on TV were always shoving food in my face!”

This reminds me of an article we wrote earlier this year entitled Seattle Eastside’s Top Personal Trainers Say “You’re Not to Blame for Your Weight Problem!”

“What if you’re not to blame for your weight problem?” The February 3, 2008 edition of Seattle Times posed this question in an article entitled It’s Not My Fault I’m Fat? Not surprisingly, this immediately caught our attention. What if it’s not your fault if you’re overweight? You may as well cancel that gym membership, re-stock your cupboards with potato chips and cookies, and call it quits. Because according to this article, until the government starts regulating our environments by getting rid of vending machines, outlawing “Super Size Me” meals, and black-listing certain deep-frying, calorie-busting restaurants, you won’t be able to change your habits and get healthy. It’s just too hard. Here’s a quick outline of the main points in the article and our thoughts on each:

“Eating is an automatic behavior that has little to do with choice, willpower, or even hunger…Automatic behavior can be controlled, but only for a short time.”

True. Many of us have hard-wired programming that makes us reach for that doughnut for breakfast. Old habits die hard. However, they can die and be replaced by new habits. With enough persistence and with the right mindset, choosing the right foods in the right quantities can become automatic as well.

“Changing routine behavior is painstaking and slow. It sometimes takes years to change one little thing.”

True. No one said that adopting a healthy lifestyle would be easy. But if you keep selling yourself short and convincing yourself that change is too hard, you’re absolutely right! And it will take years to stop reaching for that doughnut. It comes down to how bad you want it and why. It comes down to your mindset.

“If people rely on willpower alone, they are expecting too much of themselves..It’s easier to change the environment than it is to change people.”

False. This statement frankly depresses us. Are we really giving in to our own weakness and taking the coward’s way out? Pointing fingers and putting the responsibility for our own lives in other people’s hands? We believe that willpower – or “energetic determination,” as defined by Merriam-Webster.com – can accomplish anything. Granted, we do give some credit to the above statement by admitting that willpower should be accompanied by knowing what the right foods are, by a deeply compelling purpose driving the willpower, and by a belief in oneself and one’s worthiness. However, blaming anything or anyone else for our shortcomings is still just a “good story.”

We, personally, have more hope in the human race than this, and we hope you do too. This article drastically sells us short as human beings. If we told a 3-year-old not to take his sister’s toy, but he did anyway, is it entirely not his fault because she was sitting there playing with it right in front of him? We’re afraid this is the message this article would give to our kids: It’s not your fault. You’re a victim to your environment.

We’re not saying that government restrictions on the use of trans-fats or requirements to label restaurant foods with nutritional information wouldn’t help. But we can’t sit on our rears and wait until the environment around us changes before we change ourselves. A wise man once said, “As within, so without.” Real change won’t come until we decide to change ourselves. Then the food manufacturers and marketers, restaurant operators, and food vendors would have no choice but to conform. It all comes down to personal accountability. In the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer, “If your problems were the result of others in your environment, you would go broke sending everyone else to the psychiatrist.”

If you truly want to enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and holiday festivities without dealing with added weight on your belly, it is all in your hands. The key is having a strong mindset. ??Most people approach the holidays with the mindset of “I deserve to indulge and I shouldn’t have to workout – it’s the holidays and I deserve it”. This is fine if you don’t mind entering 2009 with an added spare tire, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before. Believe you deserve better, because YOU are more than that! Believe that you don’t have to wait until 2009 to get into better shape than you are today. Believe that you deserve to have a healthier lifestyle and have more energy NOW than you ever thought possible!

I’m always available to help – call or email me to set up a fitness consultation and let’s get started on making lasting changes over the next few weeks to come.

Contact info:

Phone: 425.296.9305

Email: rommel@element5fitness.com

Website(s):

http://www.element5fitness.com

http://www.strongandsexybootcamps.com