A thriver's guide to physical health and wellness
World-class tips, tactics, strategies and serious motivation
Congratulations to the most decorated Olympic athlete ever. Last night Michael Phelps did it. He earned his 19th Olympic medal. More than any athlete, any sport, male or female.
What’s your impossible? Whatever it is, keep moving forward. You can do it. You can! Period. But only if you don’t stop.
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Cooper (left) is ALWAYS ready to run…
Every four years the Olympics inspire a world full of spectators. Watching from the sidelines or from our living room stirs our soul. The million dollar question? Will the inspiration to move and do something actually come to fruition?
Go. You CAN move. You should move. You owe it to yourself. And to the people you love.
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PS. How many days in the countdown?
This photo was taken as the sun set into the Gulf of Mexico…
The one thing missing from yesterday’s Olympic list? Dreaming. Dreaming plants the seed, and helps us visualize the future…
But only crawling out of bed early, and putting in the blood, sweat, and tears will get you to a place where you can even remotely believe your resume is good enough.
Seven days…
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Sometimes, there are no words necessary. This is one of those times:
He's Counting On A Role Model (for life)
Ever struggle with your motivation to exercise or with making smart food choices?
(If you said no, you’re lying)
Yesterday while at Gold’s Gym Orlando, I asked one of the staff, “What is it that makes some people commit to exercise for a lifetime and others quit after a few weeks?”
What do you think? How would you answer it?
I suggested that we can not do it for ourselves, we must do it for someone else. If we fail, we only let ourselves down. But if we do it for someone else and we fail, we let them down.
The other person challenged my rational (which is exciting), and in the speed of the day, neither one of us, in this casual conversation, really had a desire to debate this further at that moment.
Yet on the drive home, what I had been trying to say was revealed. We need to be a role model for great health habits. This is the secret that eludes people.
You must be someone’s role model, for life. This means you can not fail. There is no greater motivation.
If this is flying over your head, you’re at huge risk to miss this simple, but compelling health secret.
Passion Is Beauty
What is it about the Olympics that stirs our soul and lifts our spirit?
Perhaps it the same as admiring a priceless work of art, or a magnificently built cathedral, or listening to a brilliantly written and performed song, or dining on a meal prepared by the finest chefs.
It could even be tonight’s sunset, or tomorrow’s sunrise.
Whatever it is, I believe it is critical to harness this passion.
This is passion for “art”, in all it’s forms. This passion is what stirs our souls and lifts our spirits.
And whatever it is, we must find it, grab tight, and never let go.
The time for letting will eventually come, and hopefully, we will be ready.
Lane 8, Finland
Lane 8 is where the slowest competitor is placed. In swimming. In running.
You never saw Michael Phelps (world’s fastest swimmer) in Lane 8. You never saw Usain Bolt (world’s fastest runner) in Lane 8.
And yet Lane 8 is my goal.
This week, like most of you, there was a serious struggle to find the right balance of physical activity and healthy nutrition. Diet and exercise.
Here’s one of my little secrets. Are you interested in it?
Dream Big. Get There. Stay There.
Come up with a mantra, a saying, that will keep you focused on one simple goal.
To not give up, no matter the set backs. Ever!
And on this day was born a child. In a manger, at the stable. No room at the Inn. And they called him Emmanuel.
Impossible?
Perhaps nothing is impossible. Perhaps impossible is nothing.
Lane 8 is a simple website and blog. Even the first Lane 8 business card was handmade, in five minutes. And 5,000 were printed and taken to Finland.
August, 2009, in Lahti, Finland, the Master’s Track & Field World Championships drew 5,300 athletes from 80 Countries, with the same Olympic spirit as the official Olympic Games.
Many of the Master’s athletes celebrate Christmas, and that little boy everyone calls Emmanuel.
Lane 8 is simply a humble beginning. Not at all unlike a child born in a stable.
Lane 8, Finland, 2009
Merry Christmas from Lane 8.
Handmade t-shirt, Finland
Peace on Earth, good will toward men.
Steve Prefontaine's Legacy
Here’s my personal favorite tip to stay motivated:
Who’s going to be more passionate and concerned for your motivation than you?
Seriously. Who?
Studying others who’ve overcome obstacles is just one way. It’s one of my favorite ways. Steve Prefontaine, a rebel, also happened to be a runner.
And in the process, with his relentless courage and determination, he changed the way Americans thought, and continue to think, about running. He held every American running record from 2,000 – 10,000 meters.
In his greatest race at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he finished fourth. No medal. No glory. No hero’s welcome.
But yet, he’s the only athlete Nike has ever immortalized in a bronze statue. Ever. Any sport. Period.
Doing it wrong is easier than doing it right. You can screw it up by doing it wrong.
And doing it wrong, is as easy as doing nothing.
Ya with me? Let me say that again. Doing it wrong is as easy as doing nothing.
Doing nothing is easy. Maybe that’s why so many do nothing. Doing it right, is hard work.
The people who do work hard are also tempted to do nothing. Most don’t believe this, but it’s true.
Take me for example. Last night I made plans to run five miles this morning. Instead, I’ve made a few rationalizations so I can do nothing instead. Actually, I’m very busy this morning. But not physically.
And so it goes….
Mind, body, spirit, money, and hq...
You see four of them below. The fifth is the "box" the holds the other four...
America's unheralded work life balance expert. jeff noel, is a Servant, Husband, Dad, Boomer, speaker, author, runner. He believes work is only work if you'd rather be doing something else. Allergic to most pollens and mediocrity, he can't wait for the alarm clock to go off every morning.