Friday, March 30, 2012

TFW Warrior Cardio Training

So, what's the definition of a 'warrior'?

If you do a Google definition search of the word you get the following - "A brave or experienced soldier or fighter."

Given the definition above, then how would you a define a 'warrior' based on the way my good friend and colleague, Martin Rooney, CSCS - founder of Training For Warriors - does?

You then get the following - "Anyone that is prepared to work hard and develop oneself in an effort to battle against his or her challenges in life." 

Now, if you've never seen nor heard Martin speak, this guy will pump you up and motivate you at the snap of a finger. The great thing about Martin is that he has a natural gift at captivating an audience with his down-to-earth & energetic personality, his wisdom, experiences as well as telling his infamous stories that tie in to the real world and our lives.

All in all, I personally consider Martin Rooney to be a 'badass'! And I'm very blessed and fortunate to know this man.

As for the work he does and products he provides, well let me just say that they're no joke!

Speaking of products, I'm super pumped about pre-ordering my copy of Martin's newest book called "Warrior Cardio" which is to be released on Tuesday, April 10th. If you own any of Martin's stuff, then you know it's top notch. However, Martin says that his new book is his "best product to date"!

Don't believe me? Then check out the video below and you'll see what I mean!


My advice is simple - pre-order your copy today and get a top quality product that will not only be well worth the money, but it will change your life for the better! GUARANTEED!

I'm looking forward to reading my copy as soon as I get it and hopefully you are too!

Until then....train hard, eat like a champion and always bring out the 'warrior' in you everyday!

-AR

Friday, March 23, 2012

18 Inches

Do you ever get that feeling when things are going great and everything seems to be falling in place as they should? Those are the times when you feel unstoppable, like you can conquer ANY obstacle that comes your way. It's a sensation that lifts your spirits, creates excitement, resonates positive energy and enhances your will for constant never ending improvement.

The antithesis of this is when things "go south", so to say. When stuff starts taking a toll on you for the negative. No matter what you do, how much hard work & effort you put forth, nothing seems to be going your way. How does that reflect with your overall well being? You may feel distraught, defeated, uninspired, hopeless, and possibly like a 'failure'.

So....what's the difference between 'success' and 'failure'?

How about 18"?

That's right - 18 inches is the determining factor that will dictate if you're willing to take all the things in your life to the next level or if you'd rather be complacent with the status quo.

Check out this awesome guest blog by my good friend, colleague and former college classmate Todd Durkin, CSCS - owner & founder of Fitness Quest 10. In this post, Todd explains what it takes to connect the 'head' and the 'heart' to create GREATNESS. We all have the capacity and capability to do awesome things - things that are greater than our perceived limitations. By 'getting our minds & hearts right', we can expect to always strive for success as long we commit to improve each and every day by 1%!

Enjoy!
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I heard a quote a few weeks ago from a pastor friend and client of mine, Gino Mingo. We were doing a Bible study with our NFL Combine guys when he said, "The difference between heaven and hell is 18 inches. That’s the distance between your head and your heart." Deep stuff. Great stuff.

I spoke with Gino afterwards and said it’s no different than success or failure in life. 18 inches. The distance between getting “your mind right” and getting your heart right. Whether it’s business, sports, family, relationships, career, or just life, you have to have your heart and your head in the right place. And you must be deeply committed to both. And that’s not always easy.

What about you? Are you all- in? Are you fully committed?

There are lots of times when you struggle to get your mind right. When you just can’t get your HEAD around what you’re doing. Fear. Self-doubt. Procrastination. Bad environment. Something’s holding you back.

Or have there been times when your HEART has just not been fully committed? No passion. No energy. No love. No spirit. No nothing.

Each one of us knows deep inside that great things don’t happen at half-throttle. Life is way too short to not have your mind and your heart fully committed. It’s time to live life to the fullest, and if something has to change, TODAY is the day.

Check out some of the BEST ways to “Get your MIND right”:
  • Avoid negative self-talk. Wear a rubber band or “IMPACT” bracelet around your wrist and flick it when a negative thought comes to mind (Thank you Dr. Jack Singer). Banish negativity!!!
  • Drive a positive attitude. Be proactive with positive energy. Seek it out with regular course corrections… take the “flick on the wrist” a step further and replace the negative thought with something positive. Remind yourself: You are 1% better everyday!!!
  • Conquer FEAR. Fear is “false expectations appearing real.” Fear is poison. Say “YES” more often to things that once scared you (And those that still do!). Take ACTION on the things that scare you the most. Face your fears. Conquer them. Remove them from your life.
  • Surround yourself with positive people. The most successful people have an inner circle that empowers them, inspires them, supports their character, encourages them through the wins and the losses, and reminds them who they really are! Choose your friends and acquaintances carefully.
  • Eliminate garbage. Garbage in—garbage out. Everyday we have a million media choices available to us. Be careful what you take in… it might be polluting your mind.
  • Write. In my book, I shared a “decree statement” exercise in which you write about your life purpose. The only difference is that you write as if it’s 5 years from now and you have succeeded. Try this yourself. Writing is powerful and one of the greatest tools to help you get and keep your mind right.
… And your HEART:
  • Commit. What do you love to do? When you can’t truly commit in your work life, it might be because you aren’t in the right place doing the right thing. So, if you don’t love what you are doing, move on. Passion breeds passion. No doubt, personal relationships are more complicated. Nothing in life deserves more attention, more patience, more forgiveness, and more HEART than your relationships because you get what you give. Before you can commit, you gotta show up.
  • Write in a gratitude journal. Yes, more writing. Gratitude fills the heart and makes it stronger. It allows you to live with more compassion and to be truly thankful for all that you DO have. Write down 10 things you are thankful for every night and watch how this simple task improves your sleep and your attitude.
  • Quiet time and prayer. Nothing replaces the power of prayer. Take 10 minutes a day (minimum) to pray, to have quiet time, or to meditate. I love to do this early in the morning. But the bottom line is: DO IT and put your inner life in balance. Try it for 10 days and see the difference. Try it for 30 days and you’ll be a new person.
  • Music. Music moves the soul. Create an inspirational play list of your top tunes and listen early in the morning, during a workout, or when you need a shot of inspiration.

So, what’s holding you back? What needs to change? What’s the one thing you can start doing today that will get you kicked into gear with the full-throttle power you need to succeed?

Remember, it’s only 18 inches, but it’s the difference between success and failure. Heaven and hell. Because if you really want something, you’ve got to go all in. Head and heart. It’s all or nothing at all.
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-AR

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Marina Bay Sands Skypark BASE Jump

I've always been fascinated with the crazy world of BASE Jumping....though I've never done it before. Don't know if I ever want to. However, I appreciate the beauty of it all - the landscapes, the scenery, the tranquility of it all just before the craziness of leaping at break neck speed down to earth! This video is no exception!

Crazy....yet beautiful!

That's life for you!

 

-AR

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Getting Better

This is a very cool guest blog from one of my high school buddies, Ryan Cook, who happens to be a pastor. I snagged this post from Ryan's blog and wanted to share it with you since it holds lots of value in what I firmly believe in what I call the "1% Improvement" mindset. As you read, you'll understand that our ultimate plan in life is to be successful....but to get there we must be willing to work hard at the concept of "Kaizen" - which is Japanese for "constant never ending improvement"!
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I'm obsessed with being better. With doing better. And this extends to every area of my life. From being a husband and father, to being a preacher, to making up competitions with my lead staff.

If I lifted 100 lbs. yesterday, I want to be able to lift 105 lbs. tomorrow.

If I tithed x% this year, I want to tithe x+y% next year.

If I preached a great sermon on Saturday night, it had better be near perfect by our second service on Sunday morning. In my mind, if I’m not getting better, I’m getting worse. If I’m not progressing, I’m regressing. There is no middle ground. There is a holy discontentment inside of me to constantly be improving.

The reason is that “better” now will eventually become outdated and average later. When the first generation iPhone came out, it revolutionized the industry. But it was updated and replaced because it soon was no longer sufficient to meet the needs of those it was serving. Yesterday’s release of the iPhone 4 was just the latest update. A year or so from now, we will have the iPhone 5 because the needs of the consumer will constantly demand a better phone. Your capacity as a leader, a spouse, a parent, or an employee might be adequate right now, but it will be inadequate momentarily.

The needs of those around you will constantly demand you to produce at a higher level. For this reason, we must have a healthy obsession with improving everything we do every time we do it. Not for the sake of pride. But for the sake of those who need us to be at our best and continually improving on our best.


There is a potential danger with this mindset. We can become so busy constantly obsessing over being better that we do not take the time to adequately celebrate and appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come. This danger is real. We must continually be thankful for what God has done in and through us. Yet the bigger danger is standing still and settling for less than the future progress He still has for us.

At every moment, I must be performing at the maximum level of my capacity while at the same time be increasing my capacity for the moment that follows.
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-AR