MORTAL COMBAT!!

    I am in mortal danger every single day. Every day of my life I look down the barrel of a gun. All around me are my mortal enemies, standing there silently, staring me in the face, like vultures waiting for my final sigh.

   What are their names? Who are these harbingers of doom? Why do they persistently chase after me with such hate and vengeance? And most importantly, what am I doing about them?

   Their names are: Heart disease, Diabetes, High blood cholesterol, Hypertension, High blood pressure, Obesity, Cancer, Arthritis, High BMI, Poor eating habits, Poor exercise habits, Poor discipline mindsets, Negative self-image, Excuses, Apathy, Laziness, Complacency, and the list could go on. Everyone of these plague me from the moment I wake until I go to sleep. All I have to do is nothing, and they win.

Why are they after me? Unfortunately for me, they were gifts wrapped in black wrapping paper given to me at the moment of my birth to enjoy the rest of my life. They are in my genetic makeup, in my family tree, passed down from generation to generation from my parents, their parents, and on up the line of other men and women who did not heed good judgement, did not take care of their bodies, and did not believe the choices they were making were ever going to affect anyone other than themselves.

   Well, for better or worse, these "genetic markers" are coursing through my blood stream, ready to lay waste to my body should I let my guard down and give up. Even now as I write this, the capacity to overtaken by any one of these is simple. The choice is simple-do something positive for myself and my body, or, do something easy. Do the hard thing and resist, or pick up the t.v. remote. Which path do most of us take? Mine was obvious for years. The picture to the right was one of many inspiring me to get up and get moving!

   I am on a mission now to eradicate those things from my life, to delete them from my existence, and push them all over the cliff to extinction. I am not ok with living a life of half-way, of mediocre goals, content with "almost", and satisfied with "just ok"! NO! I want to live my  life to its fullest, and be alive and awake every moment of every day, fully capable and able to live and give my absolute best to everyone and everything around me.
 

Am I "there" yet? Obviously no, I am still on the journey. But I am seeing results, because I "shifted". I recognized where I was, where I wanted to be, what I was doing that wasn't working, what I knew I could be doing better, and began doing those things. Sounds simple right? You and I know change takes constant effort and purposeful strides everyday, and has both victories and setbacks. But, looking at the before and afters, within a few months, it is clear that progress happened. Anyone can do this. I am still far from where I want to be, but I am realizing successes today because of the simple shift in my thinking, believing, habits, and actions from a string of better yesterdays.

My hope is that somehow you too can see a better tomorrow because of positive changes and "shifts" today. I would love to hear your results! Likes are wonderful! But please also SHARE! I appreciate your thoughts and look forward to hearing from you!

YOU ARE...

Worth it.

An amazing creation.

Able to do amazing and wonderful things.

Going to do something exceptionally awesome this week.

Part of something grand, something spectacular, something good.

Smart, good looking, special, wonderful, trustworthy, empowered, strong.

YOU ARE

 Loved.

Just thought I'd remind you, in order to SHIFT your thoughts and in case someone forgot to remind you today.

-Joshua D. Hollers






Image courtesy of digidreamgrafix / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My Top 10 Fitness Secrets

When I worked as a personal trainer, I was able to coach and share with many people the health, fitness, and eating habits I had learned over the years to help improve their fitness level. More often than not, the same issues and questions would come up that I wanted to address to shift their mindsets to come closer in line with the truths below that I had learned through watching others or just through trial and error (i.e. the hard way). These aren't fast, cheap over-night success ideas, they are truths that will always remain the same.

Aim for 3 meals plus 2 mini-meals

#1- First and foremost: You must accept your body. Absolute acceptance for your body being the way it is is as important as beginning a health and wellness program. Be ok with you. I'm 5'6 (and a half inch) and stocky. I'll never be the 6' tall, thin guy on every Aeropostale poster and GQ magazine cover. And I'm fine with that. BUT- I can ramp up my metabolism to be a fat incinerator and build muscle that fills out shirts. Those two are absolutely in my control. So that's what I'll focus on, not what I can never attain.  Focus on eating 3 meals without fail combined with 2-3 mini meals every 2.5/3 hours. Logs on a fire keep it going and burning hotter, right? Same with our bodies. 

#2: Change takes time. Like several MONTHS! Don't see progress? Continue another week, keep going. Your better body will reveal itself after constant, consistent work. It will not come after a few weeks in the gym, and definitely from a much-hyped "10 day weight loss secrets" infomercial or book. Forget the tv and Internet ads. Forget the new latest fad diet. Forget the diet pills. They are money traps. If you want to throw money away, I'll gladly send you my address! It takes consistent work, sweat and a positive attitude that you are moving forward a little bit every single day. People know this, but they forget it- often. Consistency is the key that will open every fitness door you are looking for.
"Time" is the keyring that "Consistency" is found on.

#3: Listen to and respond to your body. Our body communicates in one simple language-for everything it needs. Are you tired? Are you thirsty? Do you need to add more clean sources of protein, vegetables, or nutrients to your diet? Have you been stressed lately? Do you know how our body tells us these things? It communicates through the "hunger" signal that something is lacking. We interpret as "I need to eat" when we truly need to sleep, drink water, eat cleaner, or slow down and take a break. Do you see how often we misinterpret that?

#4: Sugar / refined starch / breads / pastas= Stored Fat. Our fast-paced, fast-food culture have hit the shelves at home. Processed sugar and processed foods are the worst cause of our health problems today. Eliminate these nasty sugars and you're halfway there. (Very difficult I know, but it's manageable and doable. I'm guilty as anyone of having a sweet tooth.) But these do not STAY at my house. If you must have bread, look for 100% whole multi-grain breads and brown rice instead of white. Just because it says "lite" or "low fat" does not mean it's healthy. Plan your meals for the week, buy them, cook them a day before you need them, take them in containers wherever you go, and stick by them. A meal or two out is not the end of the world. Just cut out highly processed carbs, breads and sugars when and where you can, you'll start seeing results over time. I even cut milk out because of its high starchy sugars and went to a 30 calorie almond milk. Lost 5 pounds of fat in 2-3 weeks. 

Water is life

#5: Water. Water. Water. Repeat. Water is our body's transport system for the nutrients our cells need to operate, as well as waste removal. Do you feel tired, sluggish, and always reach for that 3 pm coffee or energy drink? Can you see why? Try about a liter a day and then work up from there. Add lemon and/or sugar free teas if you need to spice it up. If you're working out, your body will tell you it's thirsty more often-obey it and drink water! Aim for about half your body weight in oz of water a day.  

#6: Expend more than you consume. The only way to lose it is burn it faster than you consume. You want to build muscle and gain a little. That is awesome! Muscle is your friend. Fat is food for your muscles. It will go the other way eventually. Re-read #2 for clarification on time. 

#7: Make workouts a priority in your life next to your children, church, and spouse. Socializing, working, and daily to-do's WILL crowd everything else out if you don't plan and dedicate time to working out. Again, I'm human and prone to thinking, "maybe tomorrow will be better." Guess what happens tomorrow? Life. Problems. Fires to put out. Something goes wrong or a friend just needs you all the sudden. Make working out happen or else, it won't.

#8: Protein and resistance training are your muscles' best  friends, and fat's worst nightmare!!! Somewhere along the line in our culture some women have been lead to believe that protein and weight training only makes for big, bulky muscles and therefore is not for them because they want to be thin. NOTE-Unless you are lifting excessively heavy weights that only Arnold Schwarzenegger can lift, and even taking testosterone supplements, you WILL NOT EVER GET BIG BULKY MUSCLES! 

Resistance training is your friend

Also, there seems to be a tractor beam located in every gym that pulls many women and even men straight to the treadmill and won't let go for 45 minutes, and then they start their workout. That's backwards! Make resistance training paramount and cardio a collaborative add-on tool, not the very first thing you always do when you work out, and then labor for 45-60 minutes and then go work out, tired and spent already with no glycogen stores left for the heavy lifting. Try alternating days of resistance and cardio. If you have to have cardio daily, incorporate HIIT cardio into a well balanced resistance routine to knock them both out together.

 
Either way, protein and resistance are the absolute musts in burning fat. I don't even say losing weight anymore because no matter what your weight, muscle is more important. Also, unless you add muscle, your body will never ever burn more calories faster on its own. That's like telling a decreasing number of workers on a job to complete the job faster and more efficiently with less and less capable workers. If you're not adding muscle, you're losing it, and the weight will stay on until you do. Even worse, it may spiral down to where you have an upside down muscle to fat ratio.

#9: Workout partners are indispensable. You will see more progress and be more apt to continue in the hard times, I guarantee it. I have a workout buddy, and will we not begin a training program without figuring out details and helping each other over time constraints. He helps motivate me, keeps me honest, and keeps me accountable. On the days either of us have to miss, there is an encouraging butt kicking text waiting for me when I pick up my phone. These can be your best friend, or a new one in the gym, and groups can be even better sometimes. In the words of Woody from Toy Story, "If you don't have one, get_one.wav !!!"

#10: There are no "secrets". Nothing can ever top sound, sensible food choices and eating habits, backed up by a trustworthy accountability partner and/or group, consistent WORK, plenty of SLEEP, water, and a motivating goal. You have to make the WHY strong enough, and be visible and attainable as well. We all know what a good, better, and best choice is. Let's work at doing that with our bodies more often than not. Agreed? I look forward to hearing your comments, goals, and progress! Feel free to share this!

Blessings!

-JDH



Images courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography, rakratchada torsap, David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm Only Grateful For...

   We've all heard it before, "our gratitude affects our attitude" as well as, "our attitude controls our altitude". Nice "cat poster" comments, wouldn't you say? Most of the time, I even doubted I could get to the "decent attitude" altitude, much less than soaring up in the clouds with all the other happy, go-lucky cat poster owners.

   But, reaching my age and looking at the next decade of life with a heathy amount of pre-mid-life- crisis thinking, I've kind of come to the point where maybe it is time to start changing the tune of my thinking. Maybe In looking back, I might find something that I've missed.

   It's not really 'changing' my thinking, as it is shifting to a different filter to find the positive results of my last few decades' experiences on Earth, and what they've taught me. It's like using a different word search to find something, or using a synonym of a word you've already used too many times, so you can say something a little different with this statement.

   I wanted to begin thinking of lessons of my life that I could use to propel myself and maybe a few of those who care to join me forward. What I did was really quite effective, and mostly, because it was ridiculously simple. I highly suggest you try something similar.

   So, I did some searches for some positive-sounding music to get me in a good state of mood, and I found a song by Brian Crain, "A Song for Rome" that was perfect. You should do a search for it. Actually it pretty much overwhelmed me, because the song is almost haunting, but still light, proud and moving. It made me remember and think of things I had experienced that were kind of tinged with sadness but still very glad I experienced. I wasn't aiming for these, but found I needed to experience them.

   As I listened, I just became overwhelmed with a deep sense of gladness, a calm but powerful kind of "thank you" came over me that I could only lift up heavenward and offer up in a humble thanks offering to my creator. This energy stayed with me all day, and even into the night. Even still as I write this a day later at 3:20 am, I can feel it like a wave in the ocean I got to ride but just for a few seconds, but it carried me so far.

   So, if you're still around reading this and wondering what the "only thing" I am grateful for is, what I'm thankful that happened to me, I will have to say: Every thing. Every single thing. Every valley. Every mountaintop. Every triumph. Every failure. Every heartache. Every break up, loss, every moment of sadness and silence and seemingly vast separation from God and all of humanity, all of it. They taught me something. They made me something.

   I'm thankful for every moment I was desperately alone. I'm thankful for every moment I couldn't have had more friends. Every day that I spent longing for and searching for anything that could fill me up, I am grateful. Every day that I was blissfully overwhelmed with more than enough that I couldn't hold it all in-I Am Grateful.

   I'm grateful for when I was deployed to areas like Iraq and Afghanistan filled with hate, violence, war, death, and destruction, for it has taught me compassion and a deep reverence for life. I'm grateful for seeing a side of divorce many don't want to see, and probably couldn't fathom or come close to understanding because it has shown me my capacity to love, to see consequences of actions and inaction on both ends. I'm grateful for parents who are still together today, though at times growing up I wondered "what on earth are these people still doing together?", because all they did was fight, yell, and scream at each other. Whatever glue held them together, I'm grateful for.

   I'm thankful for having a body that holds the capacity to be obese, the susceptibility to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, to be severely limited in motion because of multiple herniated and bulging discs yet still function because I am active, I move, I am paying attention, and I am intentional and mindful of every health and nutrition action that I take.

A gracious heart creates waves that everyone sees, and feels

   You see, every bit of my life is a story, and it's the same with you and your life. Everything we've done or has happened to us can be used to remember how much we either despise the invisible hand that guides and decides why we are not where we want to be, and we can park there and pout. OR, we can look back and see and understand the good, take the positive lessons learned, adapt our future thinking and acting from better choices and habits based on our past and lessons learned. We can take an ounce of gratitude that says, "I am so glad this happened to me, because it has taught me so much. And also, it always could have been so much worse."

   Everything happens for a reason. I may not understand it, may not like it, and I may want to sit and complain about it for a while. But, if I learn the lesson I'm supposed to learn, I can stop having to revisit those places, and maybe share the story with others, which is what I think we're supposed to be doing anyways.

   Every one of our lives is a story that weaves in and out of so many other lives, like waves on a beach stretching for miles and miles. Everyone sees it, and everyone feels it. What will they see? What will they feel when they are touched by your life? What story will your life say to others at the end of it? What will mine? Hopefully from now on, something good.

Blessings, and I hope my thoughts are of use.

-Joshua D. Hollers


Image courtesy of seaskylab / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I Just Can't Do This

   That's it. This is just too hard. Trying to get all this done is just too much for me. I don't have the skills, I don't have the resources, I don't have the knowledge, I don't have all the abilities necessary, I don't have all the energy, only so much motivation, I don't know where I'm going, and if I did, once I got to wherever it is I'm headed, what on Earth am I supposed to do once I arrive there??!

   I'm smart, but I know I'm not the smartest guy in the room. Sometimes I don't have the patience required, I'm not completely qualified or optimally certified. I lose my train of thought, my mind wanders, I'm often unfocused and I am altogether perfectly imperfect. 

   So you know what? I quit. But do you know what I quit? I quit believing that I could do all of this all on my own, all of the time. I stopped thinking it was all about me, and that I had to be the one to do it all. And do you know what I found out?

   I found out that I never had to do it all on my own in the first place. In fact, I needed people in my life to help me. I needed mentors. I needed accountability partners. I needed a tightly knit group of supporters who have my best in mind, who pull for me when I'm behind, and who cheer loudly for me when I'm ahead. I need them. And you will too.

   The point is, to do something extraordinary and above your current state of existence, it requires a great amount of effort, resources, energy, skills, and networks that are sometimes out of a typical person's reach on their own. The motivation, accountability, wisdom, and advice of others who have been there and done that is worth its weight in gold, because it's a jump start on the learning curve that otherwise we'd have to learn the hard-knocks way in real life.

    There are many people around us everyday, closer to us than we know it, and who are much more willing to help guide us than we give them credit for. We just need to do a few things first:

Surround yourself with winners and they will help you win!

1) Admit that we need help

2) Identify those already doing what you want to do

3) Even if you don't know them, acknowledge their worth and how much they have impressed you

4) Allow a more personal relationship to develop, and then ASK for their help/feedback and advice. Thank them!

   Do you want a better, more fulfilling, more powerful and more rewarding life? Are you tired of settling for less? Are you trying to lift your horizons above where you have always been? Are you dreaming of starting your own business, getting yourself back into shape, training for a marathon or triathlon (as I am doing), beginning a new positive habit or attempting to drop a bad one? These things are so much more attainable and rewarding with accountability partners, trainers, mentors, and those who have done these before. 

   And do you know what? Many of these people are closer to you than you realize, and they are waiting to be asked for help. Part of their journey upward is mentoring and helping those around them up to a better place. But if we aren't willing and humble enough to ask them for help, not only are we robbing ourselves of FREE helpful advice, we are also robbing them of their opportunity to go further their own journey. You only have to ask! 

  If you want to shift your life to be better, more fulfilling, more powerful, and more on target, then one of the first lessons we all can learn is that we need the help of others to share the load. They are there, all around us, and part of their calling and journey is in looking around and helping others around them up! I asked, and found an incredible blessing and mentor willing and ready to pour his life and wisdom into my life. I know the learning curve will be steep, and some of the wisdom and business knowledge may be slightly foreign to me, but I am a quick learner, and I love a challenge. So I say, "Bring it", now that I know I'm no longer trying to do this all on my own, all of the time. As a team, WE'VE got this. 

   What are you going to do this next week to match me? Ask around. I bet there's someone closer than you know, just waiting for you to ask them. Once you do, get ready to shift your life to a better place. We're getting there!

Blessings!

-Joshua D. Hollers

Image courtesy of cooldesign / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Begin With YOUR End in Mind

Joshua D. Hollers 

1977-2014

(not really, I'm still here ")

World's Absolute GREATEST Dad

Amazing Husband, Passionate Lover

Brother, Patriot, Student of Life

BEST of Friends to Many

Loved by All

EPIC Catalyst for Positive Change

LIGHT, SALT, and FIRE

The World Will Not Be The Same Without Him!

How do you want to be remembered? What will be captioned on your tombstone when you're gone? For me, when someone mentions me after I've purchased the farm, I want stories to be told, laughter, jokes, and awesome memories to come to mind! 

When everyone is back at the house eating mystery meat and potato salad, drinking coffee and punch (and whatever is in them, who knows?!), and everyone is exchanging old stories about me, I want them to say, "Oh yeah! Remember that time that we....and we all laughed so hard! It was awesome!" Or maybe, "...and we were so impressed by him that we...". Or how about, "..and I was never the same again because of what he did. I was so glad to know Joshua Hollers. He lived his life to the full." 

Now, maybe I can be a little conceited on this side of the dirt, but God willing I'll have at least a couple people there swapping stories about me, for good or bad. And maybe I can't control what happens on the "party-side" of my passing, but I know I can dang sure control what I do from here on out that influences, changes, motivates, and inspires the people that I come in contact with and touch.

That's where crating a goal comes in. Yeah, another 4-letter word to some people, I know. BUT-this one time is incredibly easy, because it's what you want to be remembered by most. So, what matters most to you? What will you want someone who sees your tombstone to stop in their tracks and see? Will what they see make them wish they had known you? Will they say to themselves, "Wow. What an epic life!"

Begin with your end in mind, and go from there. Stop and think about what you are making important during the course of your days and weeks, and see if it is advancing what you actually hold fast to and want to complete before you die. Do they line up? Do they agree with one another? Is what you are filling your days with part of what you truly want others to remember you by once the last grain of sand has fallen, and it's your time to meet your maker? Mine wasn't. Not even close. Ergo, the words on the page you are reading now.

I want to be remembered as one who tried to light the flames of motivation, desire, and passion for living in others. I want to be the earthquake that shakes you back into focus, and the example to follow. I'm not saying I'm perfect, far from it. But, I'm trying. 

So write out a few things that you might want to see on your tombstone. Get over the fact that you think it's weird and stop being superstitious. Get comfortable with it, because it's not up to you when it happens. That said, it's a blank canvas (stone really) for what you want the world to see. Get serious about what happens now, and do what you want to be remembered by when your time on Earth is up. 

I hope there's a massive party down here on Earth when mine is. You bet your assets I'll be doing the same up above the Cosmos when I make it up there!

Blessings!

-Joshua D. Hollers

Why Fitness is a 4-Letter Word

Fitness. 

What feelings does that word bring to mind? Think and reflect about it for a second, look back at it again.

Is it confidence, positive energy, a solid plan, understanding? Or is it closer to confusion, angst, anger, or frustration? In a world of high-tech medicine breakthroughs and a wealth of discoveries in bioscience, it should be easier than ever to be fit, healthy and have a smokin' hot bod. Yet amid all the fad-diet noise, media-hype, and over-packed schedules, one almost can't help but get lost in the shuffle and throw in the towel when it comes to health and taking care of our bodies.

We have almost conditioned ourselves to think negative thoughts and feel negative emotions when it comes to this subject. For some of us, we would rather continue paying our gym fees just so we don't have to re-start the painful signup process again once we "get motivated again" to go back. Look below. How do the words affect you below? Be honest. Tell yourself the truth. 

When we hear:
-Working out. Lifting weights. 5k run. Triathlon. Marathon. Fitness. (Women)-Two-piece bathing suit. (MEN)-Shirtless at the beach. Jogging. Running. Playing your favorite sport as a teen, now.

We can sometimes think:
-I can't do that. Yeah, right. Fatigue. Costly gym memberships. Soreness. Over-priced 'health' food. Confusing media messages. Too expensive. Treadmill-that-has-become-a-clothes-hanger in the corner. NO TIME. Larger dress/belt loop size again?!? (Expletives muted for the kids' sake)

I wish I could make life simple for all of us, and make it to where if we needed another hour in the day, or another thousand dollars in the bank, I could just pull a genie out of a lamp. But, life doesn't work that way, at least not in the real world. I understand how life works. Kids get sick or spouses get laid off, fender benders aren't as cool as they sound, and money is not always a fluid tool at your constant disposal, unless you're incredibly wealthy. (In which case I'd like to interview you for my future posts. Just have your peeps get in touch with my peeps, we'll do lunch, it'll be great.)  

Fortunately, I do know an ancient Chinese secret that can take us from where we are (re-read the "what we sometimes think" section above) to where we truly want to be. Honestly. I do! It has been handed down, generation to generation, from one zen-master to the next, somehow it made its way down to me, and now, to you. 
(Here is where you scoot to the edge of the seat). Are you ready?

Here it is:
"When it is obvious the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the actions steps." -Confucius

Translated- Shift, don't quit. Adjust your sights. Shift your thoughts to those of "I can, I will". Don't "once and done" it, keep trying. Adjust your expectations. Shift your mindset to say, "ok, I can do this" and keep going. Consistency is the key to unlock every door in fitness and health. I am living and breathing proof. It took me 20+ years to get to the point where I am appreciating my body, and I am still moving forward trying to get better and better as the weeks, months, and years go by. It takes time. Make it a lifestyle, not a fad. Make your resolutions on Labor Day, and by New Years, they're a habit. Then you can resolve once and for all that you'll never make another New Year Resolution. By the time all the "New Year Resolution-ers" have dropped out and left the gym by mid-February, you'll be in good enough shape to do this year's first triathlon. Who's to stop you? I'm here to say you can. 




Photo courtesy rosesarered63
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