Then, Studpid Walks In...

You have many things under control, right? I mean, not every little detail, but MOST things. You live your life your way, on your terms and so on...you choose the car you drive, where you live and things such as that. Heck, you even decide what you are gonna wear and watch on TV tonight.

But those things where you actually have some level of "control" aren't those of which I want to speak. It is, in fact, the smaller and less controlled things that I want to discuss. You know the ones -like choosing to eat "clean" instead of crap. Choosing to workout in a precise, effective manner over just slogging through the motions or maybe not even working out at all.

You know how it goes, you get fully fed up with being fat and unhealthy then make a new consorted effort to do something about it. So there it starts. You may begin eating clean, meal by meal, one after another. Chicken, salad, protein bar, egg whites and so forth. You get to feeling really, really good, -like for once you are on track. "This time I'm doing it!" you proclaim to yourself. On and on it goes. With each passing healthy meal you are gaining confidence and strength. In your mind, you may even seem to be unstoppable.

Then it happens. Stupid walks in.

The arch enemy of everything you do is called stupid. Oh, and "stupid" is only "stupid" in name. It takes on many shapes and forms. Sometimes stupid looks like a chocolate chip cookie or a brownie, or pizza or even beer. Other times it looks like your best friend saying "Come on, just have a little bite!" I've even seen stupid look like an excuse. "I'm just too tired and worn out to go to class tonite." Hello stupid!

Funny thing about stupid is that you have often welcomed stupid to hang out with you. It seems that you treat stupid as though once it shows up, you never make it leave. Furthermore, you often invite all of stupid's friends known as "even stupider", "damn stupid" and "freaking really stupid" to come join your failure party. They look alot like "Well, I already screwed up by eating that piece of pizza" (welcome stupid) to 'I might as well just blow off the entire weekend now and restart Monday" (welcome even stupider). -Those other losers seem to think they have a golden invitation every time just plain 'ol stupid walks in. Before you know it, stupid and friends are all over you and success is a fleeting concept.

Sound at all familiar? Sure it does. Stupid and company have been tormenting your best plans and efforts for years. The solution? -It's a simple, yet very powerful tool that stupid hates. Where do you get this tool? Well, you get it where all your best provisions are kept. Within yourself. Yep, no infomercial with some freak needed to sell you this tool. You already got it. What's it called? Resolve.

Resolve. Say it a few times and think about the absolute power that resolve can wield for you. Bring it forward in your mind and dust it off. She's ready to work for you at a moments notice. In fact, she's hungry to work for you and the more you exercise her, the stronger she becomes. And by the way, stupid HATES and is TERRIFIED of her. Smile now. She's your friend and will help you make it to your goals. All of them, fitness and otherwise. Smile again. That's some good reality baby! Those of you who know that everything you do in fitness is directly related to the rest of your life know what I just told you.

So here's how I would recommend introducing stupid to resolve. "Hey, why don't you just have a little bit of this cheesecake?" (Hola estupido!) "No. No way. There's no chance I'm going to eat that." (resolve!) Did you hear stupid run for the door? Maybe we should change stupid's name to Flash as fast as it just ran away! And stupids friends? Yeah right. They made potty and hid under the bed.

Resolve winks at you, you smile. Goals fast approaching!


Ron

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Ready?

So what would you do if you did it? You know, achieved your goals... not kinda, not sorta but all the way? You know, you've lost ALL the weight. Things that you usually only dream about wearing don't just "fit", they fit great. Work out outfits? They now come in cute, even cuter and damn cute...so you can now opt for DAMN CUTE and they look better on you than they did in the store. Where you used to shop for a size 16 or 18, now you're rocking a sweet 4 or 6. No more "mama jeans" for you! You've just discovered the world of 7 For All Mankind, True Religion and all the other boutique jeans...

But there's more. What would you do if all of a sudden old fluffy you morphed into little hottie you? You get comments like "girl, you look great!" and "Oh my God, you look terrific -I'm so jealous." What do you do when every time you turn around someone is complimenting you?

What would you do when you look in the mirror in those quiet moments, when no one else is around... quietly standing there peering deep into your very own eyes, and instead of seeing that less than happy girl staring back, you see the new you. yes, the NEW YOU. Let those words sink in just a moment. Pause right here and let those words sink in...the NEW YOU...notice that smile that just breaks across your face? It's then, right there in that moment that you can honestly say "I did it." Such sweet words.

But back to the question, -what would you do? Well, let me tell you...Dance. Dance like the crazy, wonderful, happy person you are! Last Saturday night I had the opportunity to go to a local country bar in Dallas with one of our success stories. All night I watched her live in her "new you." I knew we had come full circle and she had reached true success when I saw her with her husband dancing out on that dance floor. It wasn't that she had perfected the latest dance moves, it was that she had perfected living her life.

The truth is that you too can have everything Karen has now. It's out there just patiently waiting for you, as it always has been. Ready to dance?

Ron

What would you do if...

It was pretty normal for people to stare at her. In fact, it was even what you might call "common" for people to stare at her. You know her, she's the one that is so overweight that you just look and wonder to yourself -how did you let yourself get there? It's a question she asks herself on a daily basis too.

So there she stands, waiting to be seated at her table in the crowded restaurant on a Friday night. The look on her face is anything but happy. You even notice that she seems so uncomfortable, you know her back must hurt, knees ache and it's probably not super easy to breathe when you are that big.

You notice that in spite of her extremely high weight that she has a beautiful face. And, all the things that can be "bought" she has. Her nails are done, her hair is colored and styled, she has a designer handbag... but for her, those things come easy.

Later, as you sit at your table, you almost can't help looking at her and wondering what it must be like to barely fit in a chair. Even more, you look to see what she is going to eat. There must be 40 other people in this restaurant, but you only really notice her. You hate to keep looking every few minutes, but you do it anyways.

You may notice that as she sits there talking to her dinner mate that she somehow manages a few smiles. You carefully note the artificial sweetener that she puts into her tea and think to yourself -good! Almost as if you are grading her and waiting for her to screw up. You watch her almost as if you have never seen someone eat before. If you were a child were paying this much attention to someone, you would be corrected and told how rude it is to stare. But, you are no child and you know how to "look" without "looking."

Then the moment arrives that you expected. How could she? Doesn't she know that putting butter on that white bread is why she's so big? Contempt curses through you and you feel almost vindicated that she takes a few bites of that bread. You think to yourself -how sad. Not in a soft hearted way, but in a somewhat disgusted way. You might even lean over to the person sitting with you and mention the big lady and point out that she's eating bread...

Your attention wanes a bit as you have now satisfied your curiosity and expectation. Just by eating the bread and butter, she has secured a low place in your internal hierarchy of people in the world outside of you. But you'll peek again and God help her if she has anything less than a tiny piece of grilled fish and broccoli. Let the waiter bring her a cheeseburger and maybe some ranch dressing on her salad and she will unintentionally lower herself to the bottom of your list.

So when your dinner is finally done, there is a tiny, sparkling good feeling coming from the food you ate. You feel full and it takes your mind off of the lady at the other table, and your job, and your life for a bit. You know full well that you don't need desert, but your desire to feel just a little bit better is overwhelming.

When the waiter comes over and asks if you are interested in desert, you reluctantly reply "Yes, I'll have the cheesecake." You hate the fact that you ordered it, but it's really all you have. And yes, the lady who's been staring at you from the moment you stood there waiting to be seated is still watching you. But you ignore her, you always ignore people who stare at you. You have to to survive. Doesn't she know that you would be thin just like her if you could? Doesn't she realize that you aren't a bad person and that you take care of yourself in every way that you can? I mean, doesn't she see that you have a beautiful face, your nails are done, that your hair is colored and styled and that you are carrying a designer handbag?

What would you do if you were her?

It seems to me that we all have this fatal flaw. You see, we are all human. We are prone to be imperfect. We make mistakes and fail, sometimes to legendary proportions. Sometimes we hate who we are and what we have become. But that's not the whole picture. There's more.

We all have the power to change. I personally believe that it's one of the greatest personal gifts that God has given us. You can change it all. How you look, how you feel, even who you are. Think about it. More importantly, Do it. From the little to the big, do it.

-Ron

Excuses Suck

I am constantly amazed at what people are capable of. I mean, I've seen the most "heart" from people that you might never expect it from. Sure, Rocky had heart, but Rocky wasn't real. That girl in my 7:55 class that sat there and cried during orientation just months ago and who now kicks serious ass every night in class -she has heart!

Then there are those with nothing but excuses. Excuses for why every freakin thing in their life is imperfect, or broken or some such silliness. God bless I'm so sick of it! Get over yourself and change things! I know your job sucks...I know your stressed out....I know it well! But guess what? YOU ARE STILL IN NEED OF CHANGE IN SPITE OF ALL THE THINGS THAT SUCK IN YOUR WORLD. Period.

Let me give you a few of my most recent excuses (FOLLOWED BY MY COMMENTARY)..."My knees hurt (but not too bad to go on vacation), I have too much going on right now (happy hour and watching TV), my job is taking all my time (because you suck at time management), I have no energy (because you won't eat right), but no one told me (you lack initiative)...I was just too stressed to eat (but you were able to eat crap instead) and on and on and on.

Which one are you? If you have "heart" then I am so squarely on your side and I have no doubt at all that you will make it...not only in your fitness endeavors, but in most things in life. But, if you are an excuse maker, you might as well accept the mediocre life you have because you will never succeed at much as long as you keep making excuses. And yes, YOU, if you are reading this right now KNOW which you are. And for the love of all things good, please don't make an excuse for being an excuse maker. Instead, change. Now. This second.

For the rest of you, the ones who DON'T make excuses, those who push with every last bit of energy to get that one last rep in...to those of you who pass up that crappy food because you DO care what it is going to do to you...to those of you who have the fire in your eyes to change your life and who refuse to let anyone or anything stand in their way, Thank you. Thank you for keeping me mindful of why I do what I do. You have my utmost respect and admiration. The future is yours and baby, you own it!!!

Personal Trainers, Excuses and You

So nearly every day people come to my in Frisco and say that they want to hire a "personal trainer." They say that they need someone to help them do it. You know, someone to call the shots, give them guidance and so on. The sad fact of the matter is that most "personal trainers" aren't worth a damn. Yep, I said it. Not worth a damn.

But, that;s not what I am wanting to write about. What I have on my mind is that many times these people who are looking for "personal trainers" are really looking for someone to do it FOR them. What? Baby, there ain't no one that can do it for you. If you had all the money in the world, theres not a soul you could hire to do it. Can you say "Oprah?" :)

Conversely, if you decide that you want to do it, theres not another person walking this planet that could stop you. Not even prison could stop you from getting in shape if you have that in your heart.

So, where are you? Still looking for someone to DO it for you? Go grab a mirror and check that person out. And another thing, don't come in and tell me that you "need" to do this. You "need" to do alot of things that you don't. You need to mow the yard, clean the house, get to bed earlier, blah, blah blah. But, it's the things that you WANT to do that you WILL do.

So, come to me when you are ready. When you are, I and my staff will bend over backwards to help you. And you WILL succeed. There's no magic and it doesn't take forever...all that's just fantasy in your head... it's no Rocky Balboa story...it's just you, some weight machines, some bad ass personal trainers and a plan. That's it baby, and that's all it's got to be.

PS, leave all the excuses behind. I've heard them all. Thousands of times...enough already. If you either don't start or do start then fall off and don't get back on, you deserve all the crap that's coming your way...so, do what the old adage says, be fat and happy....if you can. If you can't, then get your butt back in the gym and let's get this thing going.


-Ron

-

Not Tonite

So everyone wants to change their life...in fact, many things we do are in a constant quest to change our life. You want to look better, work less, relax more, be smarter, on and on...right? If not, you are an exception. And, if you are an exception, then I'm not talking to you...not now. Maybe later...

But for the rest of us in our constant pursuit of change (aka "improvement") why does it have to be TODAY? What in the world is wrong with slowing down just a bit and taking the change tomorrow, or, Heaven forbid, in a few months? Are we really that impatient? If so, and the answer is YES then why? What on Earth made us this way?

I think that I understand the desire to get things changed today...I share it at times, but for the most part, I am also happy with waiting for change too. Are you? If not, then there's the one thing that you can, and do need to change TODAY :) Start now with letting yourself wait....tic, toc, tic, toc....on and on.....just wait....relax.....keep waiting.....

Now, breathe a little...realize that all of your efforts to change WILL pay off...so long as you also provide those efforts with the one thing we never seem to want to give them: time.

Today, why don't you slow down a little. Appreciate something that you normally just gaff. Seriously, you need this!!! How do I know? Because I know YOU!

You will change, and change fast, just not tonite :)

$14 liars

Are you one of those people who have it "in" for yourself no matter what? I have to tell you, every single day I meet people that are just determined to defeat themselves. Heres what I mean: people come in claiming to want change. They speak with such desire in their voices. I see tears in their eyes many times. So we start. They jump in head first and show up everyday and put tons of effort into their workouts, lifting weight like never before, eating perfectly, doing cardio like crazy!

Then it happens. They get on the freakin scale (even though they know better) and let some $14 peice of crap mechanical device tell them whether or not they are succeeding or failing. Somehow, it seems, they expect to see a huge weight drop...and they completely discount the bone density gained, the lean mucle gained and even the glycogen storage increaase that they are also seeing on that damned scale!

I honestly believe that these people could go to weight watchers, eat half assed crap disguised as real food (which is what alot of weight watchers food is) and not gain an ounce of muscle or bone density or glycogen storage and they would be happy!!!! What the heck??? They may look loose and flabby in the mirror when they are naked...but by God, the scale moved so they're happy!

Give me a break. Please. You think you struggle with the scale? I struggle with the scale through YOU! So heres a message to those who would ignore the looser fitting clothes, the comments from friends and family that you are looking better, the drops on the body fat calipers etc, and instead choose to look at the scale: STOP. THROW THE DAMN THING AWAY. STOP LETTING IT DICTATE YOUR LIFE.

Did I make a point? If not, reread the last bold sentence; then, let's refocus and get back to work. We got a life to live based on OUR definitions, not the scale!

Almost here and it's all your fault

So summer is soooooo close now. I'm wondering what you look like? I
mean are you there? Do you look good enough for the pool and cookouts
etc? If not, it's your fault...yep! I said it. I know, not terribly
sensitive of me is it? But, if you don't hear it from me, you may not
hear it at all and summer after summer will just pass you by until
finally you just dont care anymore. Please never, ever get there!!!
Never quit caring. And guess what, it's not too late to start now! Get
off your ass and quit eating crap! And it makes me sick to think that
some people feel like since they haven't started their program yet,
they may as well wait now. Wait til what??????? Seriously!!!!! You
gotta get it together! Go look at yourself and if you don't like it
alot, then CHANGE IT.... It's your fault If you don't...

Sent from my iPhone

On a dime

So they say that life can turn on a dime...that in a mere instant,
your whole world cam change. I agree. Mine has several times.
Sometimes it's a life change in a negative way...but more often, it's
a change in a positive way.

The moment I sat up gasping for air on an arrest 14 years ago was one
of my moments where life turned on a dime...days before eating
twinkies and being fat and "happy" then running and doing pushups and
everything inbetween...

And there are other times my life has changed on a dime. Most of those
aren't worth mentioning here...but this isn't about me, it's about you!

When do you get your moment? What are you gonna do about I when it
gets here? Nothing...or everything? Those moments come for a very good
reason...to change you. Let them.

Sent from my iPhone

So it's monday

Today is the day that everyone waits for...the proverbial Monday to
get started on this or that....so I ask, did you? Or is it another
Monday of failed intentions???? How about this...instead of waiting
tim Monday on te calandar to start something, make that exact moment
your Monday...in other words, so it then and there...no waiting on
mondays that never show!

Are you getting it?

Sent from my iPhone

Crazy

So today two women came in to the Plano Studio to join., I heard things like "I've been following you for years" and things like that. I came to understand that these women really wanted, and needed a full body transformation. They were just past the special that we had been offering, yet I went ahead and offered it to them anyways. They completed all the paperwork, talked alot about changing their lives THIS TIME!!! and such.

I went to the back to grab something and when I returned they two women had decided NOT to join. They has some sort of "gala" they had to plan for...please!

I am so over people who don't really want to change...so tired of hearing people complain about being overweight and unhappy yet never, ever doing anything real about it! Please don't be one of those people. Either be fat and happy or do something to change it.

Vent over. Thank you :)

Why?

So today we had a few less people in some of the classes thanks to Spring Break so I had the opportunity to get a little more detailed with people's food today. After hearing several classes food, I was left with the question, WHY? Why do people choose to eat things that are so close to healthy but that still fall short? You know, chicken sausage, peanut butter, Propels and the like. They know better yet they still do it...and all the while the whole rest of their day is nearly perfect.

In the end I determined that it's not the freakin huge pizza or chocolate cake we have to really look out for, it's the little things that seem so small...yet make ALL the difference.

The devil is in the details. Pay attention to them!

How much???

I'm wondering how much of life are we willing to just let go by? So much is happening all over the place, every day... I mean, things are happening. It appears that so many of us get into a routine, from getting up with the alarm clock at the same time every day to the end of the day's routine where we finally go to bed...and everything in between.

Isn't there more? Yes, of course there is. It all just depends on how ambitious you are...oh, and how much self confidence you have. Maybe you really WANT to go learn to dance or something like that, but, because you lack the confidence in yourself, you will just go home and watch TV instead...it's safer.

I'm just as guilty as the next person of being this way. But, if the way to start to change something is to acknowledge that it needs changing, then I have started the process! What are you holding yourself back from? Plenty probably. Maybe you should join me in changing...

Just saying...

Summer

It's funny that on a day like today when it's raining and cool
outside, people still have summer on their minds. Soon it will be
blazing hot, bikinis and board shorts will be standard wear along with
flip flops and loose t shirts. Kids will be running and splashing in
the pools, barbeques will be fired up and margaritas will be
poured...question is, where will you be? In order to keep from being
left out of all summer has to offer, you gotta get moving now! Time to
clean up the diet and start working out like crazy... Otherwise, pray
for a long winter...personally, I'll be at the pool :)

Hope to see you there!

.

Sent from my iPhone

New Members

So today I had a new person come into the gym and join the program. She was very reluctant and apprehensive to join saying that she was somewhat intimidated by the whole thing. In her mind she sees a gym full of people who all know what they are doing, lifting weights, pumping iron and generally "working out." She probably imagines that she will stand out, look silly and lost and not fit in at all. That's what SHE sees.

I see something totally different. I see a person with unlimited potential. Potential to change and become a wholly different person. I can just imagine the smile that will most certainly will fall across her face the very day she realizes that she has made it, that the hard part is over. I can even imagine how she will feel in that moment. The sheer joy and excitement of finally getting the payoff after months of hard work.

If only I could get her to see what I see....


Ron

Seems to work

So the new blog appears to be working ok. If anyone has any problems,
please let me know!!! Asap we will be blogging like real bloggers :)

It's here!

So here it is, the new Ultimate Body Blog. It's much like a person...full of potential to do great things, but that ultimate success or failure lies within the person. In this case, I have high hopes for the blog. Bear with us as we figure it out and try to make it something you will find useful and entertaining! Anyways, here we go!