Don't Let Calories Be a Bully--Push Back!

People do not set out to get fat. No one tries to make their butt get bigger over time. I have never heard someone say, "I am going to start now on a grand plan to be 30 pounds heavier just in time for my 20-year high school reunion."

I'll be honest with you. Managing your diet and caloric intake over time is not fun. It is a constant seesaw battle between good sense and good eating. I am not the person that will tell you that eating a few celery stalks is the same as eating a plate of nachos. It's not. Nachos taste a whole lot better (especially with guacamole).

However, the same could be said for a number of choices we make in life. Think about that roommate of yours in college whose textbooks right before mid-terms still made that new, crackling sound when you open them. Sure, it was easier to watch TV, start your weekends on Thursday at 2 p.m. and play Frisbee on the quad. Look where you are in your career today versus them. Choices matter, and sometimes you do not see the results until they are mercilessly compounded over time.

So, how do people end up 30 pounds heavier in 20 years? It is the results of bad choices compounded over time. Let's work backwards to see how most people get there...

• 30 pounds of fat = 105,000 calories
• 105,000 calories/20 years = 5250 extra calories per year
• 5250 extra calories per year = 101 extra calories per week

That's right. If you consume the equivalent of one banana per week more than you need (or can burn with exercise), after 20 years, you will be 30 pounds heavier. I do not care if it is from carbs, protein or sticks of butter. Gaining and losing fat is a simple, mechanical process that is dependent solely on whether or not you consume more or less than you need to maintain your body's daily demands. How is that for "not fair"?

Most people get extra poundage from one of the following scenarios (some people participate in more than one):

1. They eat way too much consistently on a daily basis relative to what their body actually needs. This is mostly due to bad choices (willpower) or caloric content/portion size (ignorance).
2. They do not exercise on a regular basis or intensely enough to counteract occasional splurges.
3. They are unaware of the "transactional" calories they are consuming throughout the day (20 extra calories here, 50 extra calories there, etc.).

The good news is that all of the above scenarios are under your control. There was a great article on MSNBC.com that talks about tactics to eliminate calories in increments of 100 or more. Read it and use the knowledge starting with your next meal.

Make no mistake: you are in a daily battle to keep those pounds off your beautiful body. As we age, become busier and get more sedentary in our lifestyles this gets even harder. So, when calories try to push you into becoming something you don't want to be, take control and push back!

Turning your muscle building switch on

The benefits of exercise compound the more you do it. Check out this video that talks about a BYU study about the chemistry behind burning fat and using glucose through regular, vigorous exercise.

As always, please forgive me for any commercials that may run in the beginning of videos I supply from other sites!

You Probably Are Not as Busy as Her

I know, I know, we all are very busy people. Fitness tends to take a back seat to a number of other pressing issues (even though I cannot think of a more important issue than your health), but I do understand.

Take a minute, take your Bluetooth headset out of your ear, and let's put things things into perspective. We all have time for things that are important to us. I am sure doing that big deal or prepping for that big case is going to keep you awake for days. However, the prize (money, the spotlight and sense of accomplishment) is worth the effort.

Your personal fitness regimen is no different. Think of the prize instead of the arduous tasks that lead up to it.

You are no busier than the person in this article. Your career is no more important than this person's. I guarantee it. Somehow, she finds the time.

So can you.

101 year old marathoner

OK, so what is your excuse now for not being active? The video below talks about a man who still works very day, plays in a band, contributes to worthy causes and just completed his FIRST marathon at age 101.

His wellness regimen that includes lots of smoking and drinking isn't one for the textbooks. However, his determination and drive certainly is.

 

ACSM: Realistic Goal Setting Helps People Stick with Exercise

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) holds an annual conference each year, and this year it took place in one of my favorite cities in the world: Nashville, TN! If you have never been to Nashville, take a long weekend and hit the main drag on Broadway. Do not miss the upstairs stage at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. However, you are going to seriously fall off your fitness wagon, so be prepared to make up for it the next week...

I encourage you to take a look at the ACSM's web site from time to time to see the treasure chest of scientifically-based information about fitness, performance and avoiding injury. Most of it is completely free and well documented.

One item I found interesting is the concept of setting small, achievable goals along as opposed to more challenging, long term goals. You can read the release by clicking here.

A former professor of mine gave me this great bit of advice once regarding splitting big tasks into smaller, bite sized pieces. He said, "If students were shown every test, quiz, paper, discussion and group project that they would be expected to do in the four years it took to complete a degree at university, NO ONE would ever enroll. It is too daunting of a task. So, always break it into mid-term or shorter segments. It is not about performance. It is mostly for maintaining your own sanity."

Great advice. It applies to litigating a big case, doing a huge deal or trying to lose 50 pounds over the course of a year (see, I got the fitness angle back in here).

Losing 50 pounds means you have to burn 175,000 calories. That equates to running for 125 hours at a 10 minute mile pace AND finding a way to cut almost 220 small meals (at 400 calories a piece) out of your diet. I think most people would rather think about that in a less intimidating way!

Here are some examples of small, achievable goals you should be setting along the way to your final destination:

• Go from being able to do three pull ups to five pull ups by June 30
• Lose eight pounds of body fat in the next 30 days
• Reduce my calorie intake in my diet by 500 and burn 500 calories through exercise every day
• Go from running one mile in 10 minutes to being able to run it in nine minutes (and enjoy it)
• Burn 7000 calories through exercise in the next 14 days (if you miss a day, do more the next time)
• Lower my cholesterol by 10 points

Take it one step at a time and keep stepping.

Liquid Fat at the Beach

OK, so that was not the most appealing topic headline in the world, but I bet it got your attention.

I have this terrible fear that people must think I am Mr. Have-No-Fun, and that I take great pleasure in chastising people for going out and having a few drinks or a plate of nachos. Trust me, I am not that guy. Anyone who has spent some time with me on the weekend can attest to that!

I do think that most people are just unaware of unhealthy habits and behaviors that they are participating in, so I try to point them out. It is not because you should completely avoid them. It is so you can compensate for them and make informed choices.

For example, let's say you are going to take a trip to the Bahamas with that beautifully tanned body of yours. You are sitting by the pool and decide to have a margarita. It is just one drink, so how bad could it be?

Bad. One margarita can have more calories than eating one and a half Big Mac's from McDonald's. And, if you are like me, you rarely stop with just one. Read this article, but you might want to sit down first...

The Six Most Fattening Summer Cocktails Newsweek By The Numbers Newsweek.com

I am not giving up margaritas. I just know that I am going to have to get my butt down to the fitness center to compensate for it. I also might try some adult beverages that are lower calorie alternatives.

I will have another margarita and make up for it later, and that is because I am armed with the information I need to make a decision of whether or not it is worth it. Seek out information about everything you consume and the activities you participate in. In today's free-information environment, ignorance is no excuse for being fat.

Accelerate Uphill

I originally published this on my friend Larry Bodine's online newsletter, Originate. However, after mentioning it in a few presentations, I got some requests to make it available here as well...


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When a cycling legend like Lance Armstrong comes upon a hill that would make even a goat need counseling afterwards, he has three choices. He can conserve energy until he reaches the top, try to continue at the same pace as before or accelerate uphill. What do you think his strategy would be?

He attacks the uphill.

He is not unlike anyone else who is trying to win instead of just finishing the race. Your position on the other side of the hill, and the long flat stretches that follow, are determined with each pedal stroke on the way up. What can we apply from cycling strategy to marketing and business development?

There are a great number of firms have been enjoying the downhill slope of the market for quite some time. This downhill slope is a metaphor for the relative ease it has been to continue to grow profits year over year in a seller’s market, which is similar to a competitive cyclist coasting down a steep hill. It does not mean they are not working hard, but most people would agree that trying to build a practice in an expanding economy is not as arduous as one where clients are much more aware of the fact that they really do have infinite choices.

However, with a looming slowdown in the business community, many lawyers are staring straight at an intimidating, uphill climb for the foreseeable future. What is your strategy? Should you conserve energy until you get to the top (cutting back on business development time and expenses)? Or, should you actually accelerate uphill (invest heavier in business development)? For the answer, let’s look at why Mr. Armstrong acts the way he does when faced with a similar choice.

Lance has been through a lot in his life, and he has won more than his fair share of contests. So, it is reasonable to think that he does not do things the hard way just for the extra challenge. He employs strategies that are proven time and time again.

Lance knows that extensive research has proven that cyclists who are trying to come out ahead, not just finish, must accelerate uphill. The main reason is that more time is added during the climb than can be taken back on the descent. Everyone can go fast on the descent, especially the larger riders that have more strength and weight.

Lawyers and law firms are subject to the same rules. The larger firms have more resources and people and are harder to overtake during times of plenty. Thus, it is competitively advantageous to accelerate uphill and make up any gaps in profitability when others may be coasting, conserving or just being plain lazy.

However, resources (time, money and attention) are finite, so lawyers need to invest in marketing and business development initiatives that are very focused on group of core contacts and have a measurable return on investment. Like a cyclist using a heart rate monitor or other digital training aid, you should be taking advantage of the latest technology since most of your competitors are.

Winners of the legal industry race will be using technology and digital strategies to be able to focus their efforts on this core group of your contacts, send them pinpoint messages on the topics most important to them individually and follow up with those that seem the most interested in what they are saying. Technology exists today to identify these people down to the individual. This allows a lawyer to spend more time building loyalty as opposed to general awareness. In other words, you should be visiting and talking with your best clients instead of broad prospects more than ever.

This technique for cyclists, known as variable power strategy, means you gain ground and overtake your competitors on the uphill slope. It has been demonstrated that it results in the fastest times. In fact, the steeper the hill, the more effective the strategy is. The same holds true for lawyers facing a slowdown in the economy.

Slowdowns favor the more nimble firm or adaptable lawyer. According to the aforementioned study, “…large cyclists can achieve greater downhill speeds, but overall performance still favors smaller cyclists on hilly courses.” In other words, those that can quickly adapt to the change in the course has the advantage over the hulking megafirm that has to carry all that weight uphill.

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Reference
Swain, D.P. Cycling: Uphill and Downhill. In: Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science, T.D. Fahey (Editor). Internet Society for Sport Science: http://sportsci.org 6 Nov 1998.

Common weightlifting mistakes

Let's say one day I decided that I wanted to start practicing law. I had been thinking about it my whole life, I watch a lot of Law & Order and how hard could it really be? Everything I need to know is written in a book somewhere.

Which one of you would like to be my first client?

[sound of crickets]

No one would expect that I would be very good at it because I am a novice, untrained and bound to make some mistakes along the way. However, that is why you hire experts (lawyers) to help you with the law. You don't try to figure it out yourself.

Do you try and do the same thing with your fitness regimen? Read the following article on Newsweek and think about whether or not you commit these common errors. I see them every day at the gym, and it really does not seem to matter how many years a person has been exercising.

The Four Worst Weightlifting Blunders

As the old legal adage goes, anyone who attempts to defend himself has a fool for a client. This applies equally when it comes to your activities at the health club if you do not have the expertise or experience. Seek out a professional who is as much of an expert in your field as you are in yours.

Diet Strategy for the Road Warrior

If you frequently find yourself away from home working on that big deal or legal matter, you know as well as I do that eating healthy is a challenge. You are tempted at every restaurant by meals you would never dream of preparing at home and encouraged to overeat by colleagues and clients. Men's Health magazine published a great article on simple strategies that everyone can do to try and contain the collateral damage you can do to your body in just a few short days when you are away from your nutrition comfort zone.

The Traveling Man's Eating Plan (Men's Health magazine)

YOU are in control of what you eat. You have worked hard for your results, so don't let the demands of visiting your clients infringe upon your hard fought gains.

Machines? Free weights? What should you use?

Check out the following link to an article that talks about the dilemma almost everyone faces if they spend time in a gym: what type of equipment should I be using (if any) to get the best results?

Pumping up your strength routine - Smart Fitness- msnbc.com

By the way, rainmakers, this is usually a bigger problem for you. Part of being so successful in life is finding every advantage you can to get better results. This applies in your career as well as your fitness routine. I talk to people all the time who are convinced there is a "better way" to do things when it comes to exercise. They are looking for that new routine, new piece of equipment or new methodology that is going to unlock the buff body treasure chest for them.

This also is directly correlated to time management issues. Rainmakers want the latest and greatest especially if it gives better results in less time.

So, what is the scoop? Free weights give you a more intense workout because you are required to stabilize the resistance yourself. Therefore, it makes sense that you will burn more calories and create more stress on your body. Stress is good when it causes the body to adapt for the better. It is bad when it hurts your joints or leads to cumulative trauma injuries.

Machines are great for stability and safety, and they also tend to isolate specific muscles. However, when in life do you do isolated muscle movements? When you pick up a heavy box out of your car, do you use just your biceps? No, you do a compound movement that might include your legs, arms, lower back as well as your core to balance yourself in an awkward position.

Rainmaker rule: within reason, making things harder creates more intensity and gives better results.

• Every point of contact with the floor, bench or other means of support decreases intensity (think of doing a bench press while laying on a bench versus a stability ball).


• Having the weights move in a fixed range of motion (think of a bench press machine versus free weight dumbbell bench press) decreases intensity.


• Using a lower number of recruited muscle fibers (isolated movements like a bicep curl versus a pull up) decreases intensity.

Decreased intensity means it takes longer to get the same results. Longer time is the big enemy of the rainmaker.

So, machines have their place, but they certainly do not RE-place free weights and other unsupported movements that will get you better results in less time.

The Might Be a Reason You Stay Fat(article from Men's Fitness)

Sometimes, it is the little things that make a difference in your fitness routine. People spend thousands of dollars on trainers, diets, equipment and health club memberships and still get poor results. Like this article states, more often than not, it is not because you don't have the latest information. It is because you are ignoring the information right in front of you.

And, to be blunt, it usually all boils down to the fact that you are working at a whole lot lower intensity than you think you are...

Keeping score keeps you honest

Let's not kid ourselves. You run faster when someone is chasing you (or you are chasing them). I mentioned in my last post that you should be using a wellness journal to keep track of your activities, challenges and plans. However, it is only a historical document, and, as the saying goes, history always belongs to those who write it. In other words, while you may have the best of intentions, you may not be performing at peak capacity when no one else is keeping score besides you.

Think about the last presentation you gave, case you litigated or deal you closed. When you knew people were watching, and would remember whether you won or lost, you performed better. You probably did more preparation, executed with more intensity and dug deep to win. Why? Because there was someone sitting across the room, who wanted to win just as much as you did, trying to beat you. If this was just a project only you would remember, you might have slacked off just a little bit. That's OK. That's human nature.

So, try to engage in competitive activities as much as you can. Whether it is tennis, racquetball, a 5K race or a pick up game of basketball, engaging in activities where someone else is trying to control the end result will force you to train more beforehand, try harder to win as well as learn from mistakes you might have made. It gives your fitness regimen a purpose.

Rainmakers should not just compete with themselves. They should benchmark others and work hard to get better each and every day. When it comes to exercise, don't just go through the motions. Make the motions count for something by keeping score and making sure the other person knows that you are here to win.

Keeping a journal keeps you on track

So, let's say for the sake of argument that you are pretty dedicated to your exercise routine, make an effort to eat healthy and stay as active as possible. Are you keeping track of all of it? You should be.

A wellness journal is an important tool for long lasting health and fitness. It helps you keep track of your progress, identify obstacles or roadblocks and provide a method to plan your next week's activities in advance. Here are some examples of what a wellness journal can help you with:

• Do Monday meetings sap your energy for late afternoon workouts? Do you tend to skip them? If so, adapt your routine to exercise on Monday's as soon as you wake up or make it a regularly scheduled day off from the gym.

  
  

• Are you making significant, upper body strength gains or are you stuck on a plateau? Looking back in your journal may show you are relying too heavily on resistance machines and may need to vary your workout.

  
  

• You have a three day trip to New York this week and will be stuck in all day meetings. You also have to wine and dine your clients each night. You should already be planning for what you will be doing three days in advance as well as three days after your trip to accommodate for it.

Think about it in terms of your career: do you have the option to just "wing it" when it comes to recording your time, thoughts, notes or key action items? Rainmakers don't do that. If they did, they would not stay rainmakers for very long! So, apply the same rules you have for professional responsibility to wellness responsibility. Keep a journal and use it as a forward thinking, strategic guide.