(An archived post from exactly 2 years ago today):

It hit me a few years ago.

The answer.

And I was reminded of it yesterday, when I casually shared it with a friend who wants to lose 50 pounds.

Your carrot has to be huge. It has to be one you’ll chase for the rest of your life.

Until I die?

Yes!

My big carrot?

It ain’t the world championships.

What then?

Being a role model for my son. Honoring our creator who gave us the gift of our body. Seeing our son graduate from high school. Etc.

The world championships? A smaller, several year carrot.

Make today a day you stop by the produce section and get yourself some vegetables. Carpe diem, jeff noel

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Okay, so we’re nine days into the new year. Whether you make resolutions or not, how is your energy for exercise progressing?

If your goal is to take the stairs, or to be able to do one push-up, how’s that going?

If your goal is to park in the last row and walk in everyday, how’s that going?

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Gyms Will Be Packed the 1st Three Weeks In January

Is life really difficult, or is it just me?

We work so hard sometimes, and what do we get?

Nothing.

No thank you. No atta girl, or atta boy. No, “Hey, we really appreciate what you do around here”.

Nuthin‘.

As you make your New Year’s Resolution for better health, be mindful of this.

And find a radical way to overcome it.

Nothing you’ve done in the past has worked.

Go for it. Be crazy creative. You deserve it. Thank you for getting prepared.

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Eat Fresh

Setting goals is good (and easy), and we all know how to do this. We learned it as a child and it’s called imagination.

Reaching goals is good (and much harder), and we all have had some success with this. We like doing it because of the satisfaction called “sense of accomplishment”.

Now here’s the tricky part.

Maintaining that level of achievement.

That’s what my blogs are about. Dreaming big. Getting there. Staying there.

If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough.

Don’t forget to factor in the “staying there” part into your big health goals.

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Staying Healthy Isn't A Spectator Sport

“Just look at Jeff, he’s athletic”, my friend said to the others, just two days ago.

And they believed him. You could just tell they did.

I almost blurted out something in anger.

Why?

Because 50-years olds aren’t athletic.

But when middle-aged people, men or women, exercise regularly, and with more than a casual approach to exercise and health, well guess what?

They look athletic. Eventually.  Say, after a decade.

But no one wants to wait that long, so they either:

1. Never start
2. Quit too soon

Remember, the long way is the short cut.

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Master's Athlete of the Year, Rita Hanscom

Rita Hanscom was selected as Master’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year for 2009.

Rita Hanscom (San Diego, Calif.): Named World Masters Athlete of 2009 by the IAAF and World Masters Athletics after winning five gold medals in Lahti and setting a world record in the W55 heptathlon. She’s a deputy attorney general for the state of California.

The photo above is from the 2009 Master’s Track & Field Outdoor World Championships in Lahti, Finland. It was a privilege to meet Rita and her son and daughter.

In Finland, there was a sense of community and fellowship among the 5,300 athletes from 80 countries. It’s challenging to explain. It was unique, competitive, healthy and vibrant, supportive.  Amazingly supportive.

Who couldn’t use as much of that that the law will allow, in pursuing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

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Shot Put

USATF Press Release, February 8, 2010: United States Largest Master’s Track & Field Indoor World Championships Ever, heading to Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.

Click here to read the official USATF Press Release.

The past few weeks have been a painful reminder how challenging it is to stay motivated. Most of us can eventually find a compelling reason(s) to get healthy.

Few of us find compelling, long-term reasons.

That is why it is essential to figure out a million ways to stay motivated. A million.  Are ya with me.  Succeed or fail.  There is no middle ground.

USA Track and Field does it for me.  For now.

What’s doing it for you?

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Lane 8 In Finland 2009

Last night I experimented with a WordPress front page “sticky post”. This allows bloggers to indefinitely keep a certain blog post as the very first post. Like a sticky note.

If it works, regular Lane 8 readers will see the same “Welcome to Lane 8″ post indefinitely. This is really for first time readers to give them a quick look at what Lane 8 is about.  All you’ll have to do is simply scroll past it each time you visit, to get the daily Lane 8 post.

Do you experiment?  At work?  At home?  With your diet? With your exercise routine? With your rest? With your motivation?

We all know that experimentation and creativity are the keys to innovation. What grade do you give yourself for practicing what you preach?

Anyone on the honor roll this semester?

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USA Team Jersey...Priceless

Last night at Gold’s Gym Orlando in the Dr Phillips area, I meet Pleasant Lewis, the owner of several Central Florida Gold’s Gym facilities.

As a 50-year old, I struggle like everyone else, to find time and motivation to exercise.

This is one of life’s big truths.  We all are given the same amount of time. Successful people figure it out, plan for set backs, never give up and they find a million ways to motivate themselves.

And sometimes, if not more often, the thought of, “Is this worth it?”, enters their mind.

Gold’s Gym, Lifestyle Litness, Bally’s, YMCA’s, all struggle too – with finding a way to inspire people to make a lifetime commitment of healthy living.

I proposed to Pleasant that I could help.  We’ll see if “Goliath” has any interest in “David”.

Gym owners have the same challenge as their customers – finding time to do the important things that make a difference.

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Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

As we heard yesterday, humans need a million reasons (fuel) to stay motivated with their health and wellness goals. It would be great if the motivation we so desperately need could also be found at our workplace.

However, even if our companies offer health and wellness programs, odds are, in reality, few will take action.

Does your organization have wellness programs and initiatives?

Do they:

1. Inspire you?
2. Motivate you?
3. Reward you?
4. Make a difference for you?

How well do they work?

Been thinking about a reader’s question, “How to keep employees healthy in an unhealthy environment?”

The bottom line reason people aren’t motivated is because they haven’t found a personal, compelling reason.

And, the personal, compelling reason is different for each of us.  Common themes to be sure, but different personal reasons.

Try some of these on for size:

Be the change.

Action not words.

Do it for someone else.

Lead by example.

Are you an example or a warning?

Fear of regret is greater than fear of failure.

Take personal responsibility.

The greatest fear is the fear of living.

Live, before you die.

Your people are not using the tools you provide because no one wants to work hard. Every company struggles with this. Programs do not address root issues – motivation, barriers, fear.

The reason no one wants to work hard is because they are not motivated enough. They are looking in the wrong places for motivation.

They should not look in the mirror. They should look in their heart, which a mirror does not recognize.

These are the “sound bite” summary ideas around a reader’s question. Thought it would benefit everyone.

But it probably will only benefit a few, the ones who know that the mirror is the enemy.

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