If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say: "you got it so
easy because you have a faster metabolism than me." I would be retired
by now and writing this from a lounge chair on some island in the
Bahamas. Well, maybe not quite the Bahamas, but you get the hint. I
have heard that phrase A LOT over the years and I can tell you that
while yes, I do have a faster metabolism than most, it is only because
of a consistent exercise regime that my metabolism has accelerated.
While
God has certainly blessed a small percentage of people with a
metabolism that could heat a steam engine, for the rest of us,
increasing our metabolic output (the calories our body burns) requires
consistent, hard work aka EXERCISE!
It is not something that
happens overnight either. The key is the "Consistency" part of the
equation. Anyone can work out at 100% one day a few times a year, but
that does nothing in terms of turning us into metabolic machines.
The
rewards of a high metabolism are reserved for those who work out, aka
exercise, at 100% day in and day out, month after month, year after
year.
Our body burns off what it needs to use for every day
functions and what it uses in exercise. This "burning off" is called
the metabolism. What it does not use it stores as body fat.
The
more consistently you exercise, the more lean muscle tissue you are
going to build up. Lean muscle tissue is like logs being thrown on a
fire; the muscle tissue is what is going to use the most calories.
Sooooo, the more lean tissue you have, the higher metabolism you will
have, and the more calories you will burn.
This is why you hear
so often the comment, "women cannot burn as many calories as men." It
is not that they can't, but it is mainly because men are much more keen
to work on strength training routines that are designed to build lean
muscle tissue, while women, who fear "getting to big by using weights,"
opt for cardiovascular training routines instead.
If you want to
gain the gift of a high metabolism you are going to have to be willing
to put in hard, consistent work. If you do, you will be rewarded with a
more efficient body that burns calories at a higher rate than you ever
thought possible.
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
One of the only ways I know of to virtually guarantee your success at achieving a fitness related goal is to have accountability. Join my Exercise Accountability Group Today and take your fitness to a new level.
Click here for more info and to join.
I look forward to seeing you in the group!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Power of Repetition
Have you ever heard that expression: "do something uncomfortable
over and over again until it becomes comfortable?" If you haven't, now
you can say you have. Hahaha, all joking aside and in all seriousness,
while the above looks like another one of "THOSE" fortune cookie quotes
we read once and then discard, what it really is, is THE key; the key to
building momentum.
You see one of, if not, the most important skill practices we can develop is that of actively repeating something over and over again, until it becomes second nature.
If you play sports, think about the first time you threw a baseball or shot a basketball, I am willing to bet you did not do it with the same ease and skill that you are able to do it today.
What changed? You did! You changed by consistently practicing over and over again. You changed by throwing 1000's of balls and shooting 1000's of baskets. You repeated the movements and actions over and over again until they became second nature to you.
Or what about when you learned to tie your shoes? Do you remember how hard that was? How impossible it felt trying to make those darn loops. You stuck with it though, you kept trying and trying, you did not give up when you failed to tie your shoes, you persisted and then all of a sudden, BAM! You got it!
Now you don't even have to think when you tie your shoes. It's like your hands do it on autopilot.
This is the power of repetition... the power to make anything you do no matter how foreign or awkward it may feel, become second nature with consistent repetition (practice).
You have a tremendous amount of power inside of you, the power to do virtually anything. All you need to do to unlock this power is to pick something, stick with it, and repeat, REPEAT, REPEAT!!!
Enjoy the photos,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
P.S. If you like my photos, check out my photography site for more great pictures! Just click here!
You see one of, if not, the most important skill practices we can develop is that of actively repeating something over and over again, until it becomes second nature.
If you play sports, think about the first time you threw a baseball or shot a basketball, I am willing to bet you did not do it with the same ease and skill that you are able to do it today.
What changed? You did! You changed by consistently practicing over and over again. You changed by throwing 1000's of balls and shooting 1000's of baskets. You repeated the movements and actions over and over again until they became second nature to you.
Or what about when you learned to tie your shoes? Do you remember how hard that was? How impossible it felt trying to make those darn loops. You stuck with it though, you kept trying and trying, you did not give up when you failed to tie your shoes, you persisted and then all of a sudden, BAM! You got it!
Now you don't even have to think when you tie your shoes. It's like your hands do it on autopilot.
This is the power of repetition... the power to make anything you do no matter how foreign or awkward it may feel, become second nature with consistent repetition (practice).
You have a tremendous amount of power inside of you, the power to do virtually anything. All you need to do to unlock this power is to pick something, stick with it, and repeat, REPEAT, REPEAT!!!
Enjoy the photos,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
P.S. If you like my photos, check out my photography site for more great pictures! Just click here!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Be Present to Live a Fulfilling Life
How is 2013 going so far? Is it the year you want it to be, or is it starting off a little slower than you had hoped?
More importantly, have you made time for you, made time for what is most important to you? Have you made time for friends, family, your health, your PASSIONS?!?!
Every day I seem to find more reminders in the world of just how short and how precious life is. I think we would all be in agreement that it will be hard to find someone who disagrees with this.
Yet everyday I hear stories of "life just passing by," essentially people not taking time to get present with what is most important to them, what matters most.
Why?
I want 2013 to be the most successful year for you ever! When I say successful, I mean more than just career/financial success. I want you to be successful in living. I want you to have fulfilling relationships, superior health, control of your time, more Free time; and I want you to be fully present to enjoy it all.
One of the things I have begun doing in 2013 is holding a weekly poker game with a group of guys. I used to play regularly several years ago and I loved it. I loved it because it gave me a time to connect with other people and created an opportunity to bond and strengthen relationships.
What is something you could start doing to bond, to connect, to strengthen relationships with friends and family?
I promise you that the more present you are in your interactions with people, the higher quality relationships you will have.
Watch the short video below on the importance of being present.
If you have already seen it before, watch it again, being present, living a fulfilling life is worth it.
What is something you could do today that will help you become more present in your life? Please share below. We will all learn more and live better lives by working together. :)
Enjoy the pics,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
More importantly, have you made time for you, made time for what is most important to you? Have you made time for friends, family, your health, your PASSIONS?!?!
Every day I seem to find more reminders in the world of just how short and how precious life is. I think we would all be in agreement that it will be hard to find someone who disagrees with this.
Yet everyday I hear stories of "life just passing by," essentially people not taking time to get present with what is most important to them, what matters most.
Why?
I want 2013 to be the most successful year for you ever! When I say successful, I mean more than just career/financial success. I want you to be successful in living. I want you to have fulfilling relationships, superior health, control of your time, more Free time; and I want you to be fully present to enjoy it all.
One of the things I have begun doing in 2013 is holding a weekly poker game with a group of guys. I used to play regularly several years ago and I loved it. I loved it because it gave me a time to connect with other people and created an opportunity to bond and strengthen relationships.
What is something you could start doing to bond, to connect, to strengthen relationships with friends and family?
I promise you that the more present you are in your interactions with people, the higher quality relationships you will have.
Watch the short video below on the importance of being present.
If you have already seen it before, watch it again, being present, living a fulfilling life is worth it.
What is something you could do today that will help you become more present in your life? Please share below. We will all learn more and live better lives by working together. :)
Enjoy the pics,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Lance Armstrong vs. Everyone else
As you probably know by now Lance Armstrong has supposedly admitted to blood doping and lying about it while he was winning his 7 Tour De France titles.
I scan the news everyday and he is getting crucified right now. It is hard to find an internet site, a paper, or magazine that does not have his picture plastered on it with a headline that reads something like "Cheater," or "Liar."
I am curious, what do you all think about this?
As someone who is in the Fitness and athletic industry I can understand why he did it. I do not personally believe in it, but I get it.
When you are competing at the elite level like that there is such a small margin that separates the winners from everyone else. If you are better than everyone else, you will win, pretty simple right. Well, what if "everyone else," starts using performance enhancers. They provide just enough to lift them from 3rd place to 1st. What is the guy who was the best supposed to do? How is he ever supposed to win, to reclaim his rightful spot at the top, unless he does what everyone else is doing?
What really bothers me about this whole thing, is why Lance? Why is he labeled a liar and a cheat. Why is all the good he has done, being cast aside right now? Is it to sell more newspapers? To drive TV ratings up?
I ask because he lied, but so do our elected leaders don't they?
Here in the USA we recently had the Presidential election. Over the course the election there are three debates between the two opponents. When the debates end, one of the first things to happen, is the news organizations cut to the "fact check" room. The fact check room is just what its name implies, it is a place to check the facts, to see who lied to us and about what.
Why are there not more stories, of equal magnitude to Lance Armstrong, about the lies of the "leaders" of our respected nations? Why is it that we will excuse them, but not Lance? Why is it that we will accept their "lies" and misleading's, but not Lance's? More importantly, why are we so quick to and so willing to forgive and forget what they did, but not Lance?
How many of them have created cancer foundations? How many of them have helped to raise 10's of millions of dollars for cancer research? How many of them have helped to save the lives of 1000's of people because of their foundation? How many of them have inspired generations of people to rise above adversity, to not wallow in their circumstances, but to instead use those circumstances as the fuel for a cause?
Is Lance Armstrong's drug use, blood doping, or whatever it was, is it really worth diminishing all the good he did?
What happens if it is uncovered that some of the decision makers and governing bodies knew of what is going on? What kind of message does that send to children?
You can do whatever you need to do to win, as long as it is making everyone involved A LOT of money. However, once you get to old, or once you stop winning and money runs out, those same people will brand you as a liar, a cheater, and will drag your name through the mud?
Again, I do not think what Lance did was right, but I understand why he did it. And given the climate of the Tour de France at the time ( how many of the top 20 guys have all tested positive for some sort of performance enhancing drug at this point??) he needed to, to maintain the edge over guys who were almost naturally as good as he was, but were willing to do whatever it took to be a little better.
Honestly though at the end of the day, I am so thankful he DID take whatever he took. It gave him the edge he needed to win. And because he won, we loved him for it. And because we loved him for it, we made him a celebrity and put him on a pedestal. And from this pedestal, Lance Armstrong was able to become a champion in a different way. He was able to create and bring about a tremendous amount of positive change to the world.
He was able to Champion a cause that has hit close to home for so many of us. He was able to Champion Cancer Research, Treatment, and Prevention.
Had Lance not won, there would most likely be no Live Strong, there certainly would not have been the 10's of millions of dollars raised for Cancer research/treatment/prevention. And those 1000's of people whose lives were saved as a result, maybe you are close to one of them, well they, they would all be dead. There certainly would not have been the 100's of millions of Lance Armstrong inspired dollars pumped into local economies around the world. People everywhere were buying bikes, going to cycling events, buying gear, etc... because they were inspired, they were inspired by a man who was given only a 40% chance of living and now was dominating one of the most challenging endurance events.
And lastly, there would not have been generations of people inspired to go out and ride a bike, or to get in shape, or volunteer at the local cancer center, or to take a stand against cancer and refuse to let it get the best of them.
Lance Armstrong is a hero that is what I think. If we as a society are going to start making witch hunts a focal point of our existence, I think there are better places we could spend that energy (Politicians - hint hint) than destroying the people who are doing what they can to make a positive difference.
What do you think? I really would love to read your thoughts/opinions.
Please share below, and when sharing, please be respectful of other people's thoughts/opinions.
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
I scan the news everyday and he is getting crucified right now. It is hard to find an internet site, a paper, or magazine that does not have his picture plastered on it with a headline that reads something like "Cheater," or "Liar."
I am curious, what do you all think about this?
As someone who is in the Fitness and athletic industry I can understand why he did it. I do not personally believe in it, but I get it.
When you are competing at the elite level like that there is such a small margin that separates the winners from everyone else. If you are better than everyone else, you will win, pretty simple right. Well, what if "everyone else," starts using performance enhancers. They provide just enough to lift them from 3rd place to 1st. What is the guy who was the best supposed to do? How is he ever supposed to win, to reclaim his rightful spot at the top, unless he does what everyone else is doing?
What really bothers me about this whole thing, is why Lance? Why is he labeled a liar and a cheat. Why is all the good he has done, being cast aside right now? Is it to sell more newspapers? To drive TV ratings up?
I ask because he lied, but so do our elected leaders don't they?
Here in the USA we recently had the Presidential election. Over the course the election there are three debates between the two opponents. When the debates end, one of the first things to happen, is the news organizations cut to the "fact check" room. The fact check room is just what its name implies, it is a place to check the facts, to see who lied to us and about what.
Why are there not more stories, of equal magnitude to Lance Armstrong, about the lies of the "leaders" of our respected nations? Why is it that we will excuse them, but not Lance? Why is it that we will accept their "lies" and misleading's, but not Lance's? More importantly, why are we so quick to and so willing to forgive and forget what they did, but not Lance?
How many of them have created cancer foundations? How many of them have helped to raise 10's of millions of dollars for cancer research? How many of them have helped to save the lives of 1000's of people because of their foundation? How many of them have inspired generations of people to rise above adversity, to not wallow in their circumstances, but to instead use those circumstances as the fuel for a cause?
Is Lance Armstrong's drug use, blood doping, or whatever it was, is it really worth diminishing all the good he did?
What happens if it is uncovered that some of the decision makers and governing bodies knew of what is going on? What kind of message does that send to children?
You can do whatever you need to do to win, as long as it is making everyone involved A LOT of money. However, once you get to old, or once you stop winning and money runs out, those same people will brand you as a liar, a cheater, and will drag your name through the mud?
Again, I do not think what Lance did was right, but I understand why he did it. And given the climate of the Tour de France at the time ( how many of the top 20 guys have all tested positive for some sort of performance enhancing drug at this point??) he needed to, to maintain the edge over guys who were almost naturally as good as he was, but were willing to do whatever it took to be a little better.
Honestly though at the end of the day, I am so thankful he DID take whatever he took. It gave him the edge he needed to win. And because he won, we loved him for it. And because we loved him for it, we made him a celebrity and put him on a pedestal. And from this pedestal, Lance Armstrong was able to become a champion in a different way. He was able to create and bring about a tremendous amount of positive change to the world.
He was able to Champion a cause that has hit close to home for so many of us. He was able to Champion Cancer Research, Treatment, and Prevention.
Had Lance not won, there would most likely be no Live Strong, there certainly would not have been the 10's of millions of dollars raised for Cancer research/treatment/prevention. And those 1000's of people whose lives were saved as a result, maybe you are close to one of them, well they, they would all be dead. There certainly would not have been the 100's of millions of Lance Armstrong inspired dollars pumped into local economies around the world. People everywhere were buying bikes, going to cycling events, buying gear, etc... because they were inspired, they were inspired by a man who was given only a 40% chance of living and now was dominating one of the most challenging endurance events.
And lastly, there would not have been generations of people inspired to go out and ride a bike, or to get in shape, or volunteer at the local cancer center, or to take a stand against cancer and refuse to let it get the best of them.
Lance Armstrong is a hero that is what I think. If we as a society are going to start making witch hunts a focal point of our existence, I think there are better places we could spend that energy (Politicians - hint hint) than destroying the people who are doing what they can to make a positive difference.
What do you think? I really would love to read your thoughts/opinions.
Please share below, and when sharing, please be respectful of other people's thoughts/opinions.
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
Sunday, January 13, 2013
10x Value
I have shared with you all that one of my big goals this year is to provide all of you with 10x the value I deliver.
What exactly does 10x the value mean?
If the investment is a monetary one it is easy to measure 10x value. As an example, I have a coaching client who i have been working with for about a year. She told me last week that her income increased by more than 20x the money she invested on coaching with me.
What if it is not as easy as dollars and cents to measure value, how does one go about measuring value when it is not monetary? How does one measure changes they make in their life? How does one value their health, their happiness, the level of fulfillment they have in their lives?
I cannot answer those questions for you, only you can answer them for you.
All I can do is make a pledge that however you decide to answer those above questions, it is my pledge to do all that I can to help you live those answers, and make 2013 your best year yet.
I think the 10x value is a good motto to live by. It is something we can all do. It is a great North Star to follow.
Think about it... if you work in customer service, it does not take a lot to deliver more value to the customers. Calling someone by their name, smiling when you interact with them, listening, genuinely listening to their concerns will instantly add 10x value to customer's experience.
The above is true in any industry. All of us can think of something we can do just a little bit better that will add 10x the value and then some.
10x value is a great motto for out personal lives as well. Imagine what your health and your relationships will look like if you started adding 10x more value to those.
Now the big question, how can you add 10x more value today, tomorrow?
Staying on this 10x value theme, I wanted to re-share a couple of videos I have recently posted to the 1000 Challenge page.
In addition, I would like to tell you all about "The Happiness Guide." It is my free gift to all of you. The Happiness Guide is a compilation of my 50 best tips to live a happy, more fulfilling life. Just go to my website www.jessebrisendine.com to download your free copy of it.
If you haven't already seen the videos below, I hope you enjoy watching them. If you have seen them before, I encourage you to watch them again. They are full of ideas of how you can make 2013 your best year ever in all aspects of your life.
Enjoy the videos,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
What exactly does 10x the value mean?
If the investment is a monetary one it is easy to measure 10x value. As an example, I have a coaching client who i have been working with for about a year. She told me last week that her income increased by more than 20x the money she invested on coaching with me.
What if it is not as easy as dollars and cents to measure value, how does one go about measuring value when it is not monetary? How does one measure changes they make in their life? How does one value their health, their happiness, the level of fulfillment they have in their lives?
I cannot answer those questions for you, only you can answer them for you.
All I can do is make a pledge that however you decide to answer those above questions, it is my pledge to do all that I can to help you live those answers, and make 2013 your best year yet.
I think the 10x value is a good motto to live by. It is something we can all do. It is a great North Star to follow.
Think about it... if you work in customer service, it does not take a lot to deliver more value to the customers. Calling someone by their name, smiling when you interact with them, listening, genuinely listening to their concerns will instantly add 10x value to customer's experience.
The above is true in any industry. All of us can think of something we can do just a little bit better that will add 10x the value and then some.
10x value is a great motto for out personal lives as well. Imagine what your health and your relationships will look like if you started adding 10x more value to those.
Now the big question, how can you add 10x more value today, tomorrow?
Staying on this 10x value theme, I wanted to re-share a couple of videos I have recently posted to the 1000 Challenge page.
In addition, I would like to tell you all about "The Happiness Guide." It is my free gift to all of you. The Happiness Guide is a compilation of my 50 best tips to live a happy, more fulfilling life. Just go to my website www.jessebrisendine.com to download your free copy of it.
If you haven't already seen the videos below, I hope you enjoy watching them. If you have seen them before, I encourage you to watch them again. They are full of ideas of how you can make 2013 your best year ever in all aspects of your life.
Enjoy the videos,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Your Wondeful Life in a Jar
Happy New Year!
2012 is gone which means 2013 is here!
I hope this blog finds you working hard on all your 2013 goals. It is going to be a great year, if you decide to make it so.
To help you all make this year the best one yet, check out the various facebook groups I have created to help you achieve all your goals.
In 2013 I Challenge Myself To____
1 Million Positive Pounds Challenge
The most common New Years Resolution people make is a fitness related one. If you are one of those people and would like a little extra support, professional guidance, and accountability, look no further than my exercise accountability group. Check out all the details here.
I was at the gym the other day and overheard the following conversation:
"Man, I have had the worse day ever today." The guy then explains in vivid detail about all the horrible (which really were not all that horrible in the grander scheme of life) things that happened to him that day.
The person listening to his rant responds, "Wow, that sounds awful. I hate it when you have days like that, in fact, I had one like that recently." He then goes on to describe his horrible day, again, in vivid detail.
It got me thinking. Why is it that when it comes to the negative we can recall every single vivid detail and then some. Not only that but we tell every single person that will give us an ear about all the horrible things that go on in our life. Why do we do this?
Yet when it comes to the positive days, and the positive things that happen in day to day life, they get swept under the rug. Often times barely a mention, let alone sharing with the world. And when asked to recall details they get retold in far less vivid detail than the negative days.
Need evidence, look no further than status updates on facebook. We all have those friends who are all to willing to share, with the world, every "horrible" thing and piece of drama in their life.
On Monday, I was telling the above to a good friend of mine. Then she told me about this great idea she had heard about. Taking a jar and filling it up with notes on all the positive things that happen to you throughout the year.
You can fill it up as often as you like. The whole idea is that this is another tool to help develop a positive mindset.
Lets be honest we all need a little help focusing more on the positive and less on the negative.
On Tuesday I shared the photo she sent me and people seemed excited about it. Many of you said you wanted to take the challenge with me.
I write you this to help get the accountability ball rolling. I have my jar, I even named it, and have put my first few notes in it, as you can see below...
I am not going to lie, looking at my jar seemed a little intimidating at first. I mean, can I really fill a jar this size with positive things that happen? And then I remembered my jar of change I shared with you all during the 1000 Challenge. That jar started with a few pennies and grew to over $400 in lose change. The metaphor, things from small beginnings can grow and yield big results.
Get your jars ready and start taking note of just how great your day to day life is.
Happy 2013. Together we will make it the best year ever!
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
2012 is gone which means 2013 is here!
I hope this blog finds you working hard on all your 2013 goals. It is going to be a great year, if you decide to make it so.
To help you all make this year the best one yet, check out the various facebook groups I have created to help you achieve all your goals.
In 2013 I Challenge Myself To____
1 Million Positive Pounds Challenge
The most common New Years Resolution people make is a fitness related one. If you are one of those people and would like a little extra support, professional guidance, and accountability, look no further than my exercise accountability group. Check out all the details here.
I was at the gym the other day and overheard the following conversation:
"Man, I have had the worse day ever today." The guy then explains in vivid detail about all the horrible (which really were not all that horrible in the grander scheme of life) things that happened to him that day.
The person listening to his rant responds, "Wow, that sounds awful. I hate it when you have days like that, in fact, I had one like that recently." He then goes on to describe his horrible day, again, in vivid detail.
It got me thinking. Why is it that when it comes to the negative we can recall every single vivid detail and then some. Not only that but we tell every single person that will give us an ear about all the horrible things that go on in our life. Why do we do this?
Yet when it comes to the positive days, and the positive things that happen in day to day life, they get swept under the rug. Often times barely a mention, let alone sharing with the world. And when asked to recall details they get retold in far less vivid detail than the negative days.
Need evidence, look no further than status updates on facebook. We all have those friends who are all to willing to share, with the world, every "horrible" thing and piece of drama in their life.
On Monday, I was telling the above to a good friend of mine. Then she told me about this great idea she had heard about. Taking a jar and filling it up with notes on all the positive things that happen to you throughout the year.
You can fill it up as often as you like. The whole idea is that this is another tool to help develop a positive mindset.
Lets be honest we all need a little help focusing more on the positive and less on the negative.
On Tuesday I shared the photo she sent me and people seemed excited about it. Many of you said you wanted to take the challenge with me.
I write you this to help get the accountability ball rolling. I have my jar, I even named it, and have put my first few notes in it, as you can see below...
I am not going to lie, looking at my jar seemed a little intimidating at first. I mean, can I really fill a jar this size with positive things that happen? And then I remembered my jar of change I shared with you all during the 1000 Challenge. That jar started with a few pennies and grew to over $400 in lose change. The metaphor, things from small beginnings can grow and yield big results.
Get your jars ready and start taking note of just how great your day to day life is.
Happy 2013. Together we will make it the best year ever!
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
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