Health IS Wealth

The truth is, all of the money in the world doesn't matter if you are living with daily pain or any number of other chronic health problems.

So many have fallen into the trap of neglecting their health for the perceived "finer things in life," such as a career, making money and indulging in what they wanted instead of what they needed!

If you don't have a health problem, it's quite easy to think you never will...it's the old out of sight out of mind notion or I'll "fix the roof" if it starts to leak!  The problem is that when it comes to our health, we often don't have a small leak first that we can quickly patch up...instead it is a doctor's report that brings you to tears!  It can also be those chronic health problems that you deal with on a daily basis that have got you just trying to survive day to day.  They can have such a tight hold on you that you don't think overcoming them is even possible!

Fear, doubt, discouragement, depression are all too common denominators with these health conditions that seemingly rob you of a higher quality life!  If affects family and friends and can hold you back from the life you want to live!  You would give everything to be healthy...pain free...cancer free..depression free, etc.

I truly believe being healthy is attainable for anyone and there are several weapons available to use to fight back against the bad health demons!  You have to realize a few things first before you even see the purpose in picking up those weapons!

Things like...

• Your health or lack thereof can affect everyone around you positively or negatively
• Your greatest value is not in what you do, but WHO you are and who you are can't be fully expressed if you are unhealthy
• With good health, you are able to focus more on others than on your health problem
• The things we often prioritize are NOT the most important things
• We only get 1 body and a dash between 2 dates to take care of it

So now that we got that out of the way, look at your health as an investment!  If you don't put "money" in, you won't reap the reward of the return on investment!  I assure you that most people (as I'm sure there are a few extremely stubborn or willfully ignorant ones) that have dealt with a major health issue would give almost anything to go back in time so they could change the future outcome!  

Whether you are already healthy or not, you have weapons that you can fight with TODAY to continue to stay healthy or regain control of your health.  It is certain that at some point, your health will make itself one of your top priorities if you don't!  Those weapons must be picked up and used if they are going to get the victory!  It's time! 

Your Defeat The Fat Coach,

Clayton Halls                      http://www.hempworxbizop.com/HempHalls

Starting Is Like A Marathon

Recently, I saw this bumper sticker as I had just left my studio from teaching a class and training a client!  Now, we know how much people love to put the 13.1 or the 26.2 stickers on their vehicles because they are proud of the races they've run!  But what about the person who can't even think about running 1 mile and just the thought of trying to change their lifestyle is a "marathon in their mind?" 

To be honest, when I first saw this bumper sticker, I laughed out loud!  It is funny on the surface, but the deeper meaning of it can be tied to something more serious!  The truth is that whether it is running a marathon, a mile...or heck, just walking through your neighborhood, it can seem like too big of a mountain to climb! 

The warning alarm is set off in your mind and your brain is telling you to evacuate even the thought of making a healthy lifestyle change such as walking or jogging!  It's as if you are defeated before you have even started!  This reminds me of something I learned back in Sport and Exercise Psychology class that I took in college.  We learned of a process that many go through mentally when it comes to considering and making a change.

First it is pre-contemplative which basically means that they are just starting to think about flirting with the idea of maybe making some type of healthy change such as incorporating some exercise activity into their lives or eliminating processed foods, etc.  Unfortunately, many get stuck in this phase and never progress.  It's like they saw a picture of a mountain that is in "driving distance" and had the passing thought, maybe I could attempt to climb that one day.  Their passing thought just remains potential and often comes and goes like the wind!

The next phase is contemplative which means you have now gotten over the wishful thinking and have now been considering "taking a trip" to actually go and "see the mountain!"  You have decided to attempt to flirt and show some real interest in the idea of "climbing this mountain." You have thoughts of actually scheduling the trip to "go to the mountain" to check it out! 

The distance between the contemplative phase and the next phase, which is preparation, is a long ways because you have reached a point where it now requires action! At this point, you have now scheduled/planned the trip to the mountain so you can physically see it and then consider a REAL decision!  It has now turned into something a little more serious in your brain, but still far from a reality!  It's like you have moved from thinking about asking someone out to now setting up a specific time to ask them on a date to explore the possibility of a commitment! 

Here lies the great divide!  It's the place in the mental journey where you now get out of your head and into reality!  It is the ACTION stage!  It requires you to now follow through with what you have been mentally preparing for and make a move that shows you are not kidding yourself anymore!  This is where you not just get to the mountain, but also DECIDE TO CLIMB!  It's where you not just make the phone call or meet someone in person, but also where you ask them on a date and then FOLLOW THROUGH!  It is a foundational step that hopefully leads to the next action (climb further up the mountain; go on another date, etc.)  Enough action steps then leads to a lifestyle! 

Once you make it a lifestyle, then you now dwell in the "maintenance phase!"  This is the phase where you now know you can "climb mountains" and have a desire to do it or have now gotten engaged/married and you have established that you are now in it for the long haul! 

All of these phases make up the stages of change model!  For many, it is a real mental marathon they have to run before they even get to taking some kind of action!  They have done a lot of running in their mind, but are still at 0.0 miles in reality!  The question is, how many 13.1's or 26.2's do you want to run in your mind before you actually log some REAL miles?  We have a choice to stay on the hamster wheel of running in our thoughts logging countless miles or we can CHOOSE TODAY to get off the mental wheel and start taking some physical, tangible steps!  Do you want to be a mountain climber or a "fountain dimer?" (Someone who likes to throw coins in the water and make wishes without ever taking action) 

Your Defeat The Fat Coach,

Clayton

www.defeatthefat.com

Are You Running or RUNNING?

With all of the hurricane craziness here in NC, this quote (one of my favorites) came to mind! 

The weather will make people take action running all over the place with a sense of urgency trying to prepare for the worst (even if there is not any real imminent danger)! However, when it comes to many people's overall health, there is no urgency, no preparation! It's as if no health crisis is brewing. The "category 5" health warnings are ignored and when the storm hits, it is often too late...the damage has been done and there are usually casualties! 

Whether we are the lion or the gazelle, we must have a sense of urgency to take precautions and proactive steps towards our overall health! If the work is not put in now, you may "starve to death" or become lunch-meat!"

Now, let's put the hurricane aside for a second!  In just everyday ordinary life without the weather report dictating peoples' behavior...people are caught up "running," however, it's often what I would call negative running!  Think of running as busyness...getting up and scrambling to get ready for work and get kids to school...working all day...then on the go after work running errands, kid's activities, meeting up with people...then the weekends packed with plans running around from A to B to C often with no end in sight.  Then, with the little pockets of down time one gets, they are parked in front of the tv or computer or phone just vegging.  

You see, busyness can be a disease that keeps you running around all the time but never RUNNING!  It can keep you (like the weather) in a constant state of just reacting to your life and never RESPONDING with calculated decisions that improve the quality (health) of your life!  Those decisions could be exercising, doing physical activities, making wise food choices, eliminating (instead of accepting) various types of toxins in your life or that you are exposed to!  

Furthermore, you could be the Gazelle...always running from something but never CHASING ANYTHING!  You could be the Lion...always running after something but maybe not catching anything!  It is possible you could be busy running with no real victory in sight!  At some point, I assure you, that if you don't place urgency on your health and RUN after your health, it will CHASE you down.  The last thing you want is to have not prepared for a health storm that could have been prevented!  

"The best time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining!"  So, I urge you to put your "busyness" in check and get busy giving your health some attention before that "roof" starts leaking!  Make it a top priority as if you have gotten a warning about an impending storm!  There is still time to PREP!  You will never regret the prepping, but will always regret the lack of prepping!  

The bottom line is that something may need to change in order to CHANGE the type of running you are doing!  And, last, you don't have to go sprinting out of the gates.  No matter how slow you start off getting healthier, you are still "lapping the person sitting on the couch!"  

Your Defeat The Fat Coach,

Clayton Halls

Obstacle vs Opportunity

One of my hobbies is to run in obstacle races or mud runs like the Tough Mudder!  These events have no shortage of obstacles that are put in your path! 

What I have found is greater than the actual physical aspect of the obstacle is the mental aspect!  Now, don't get me wrong, the physical component in these obstacles is sometimes very challenging as you can feel your muscles cramping or fatiguing or your energy level is depleted or your heart rate is through the roof!  However, what is even more detrimental to whether or not you will complete the obstacle successfully is your mindset going into the obstacle. 

Case in point:

4 years ago myself and a team of guys I put together ran our 1st Tough Mudder!  One of the obstacles was one called Mt Everest!  It is a 15 foot curved wall that has a slippery surface which you have to run and jump up to grab the ledge.  The help of others to pull you up after you jump and reach was much more likely than not.  Many could not complete this obstacle due to how slippery the running surface was and not fully committing mentally to the run and jump and grab!  I tried 5 times and came crashing and sliding back down.  It wears on you mentally and physically but I was determined to complete it so I went again and finally on my 6th time I made it with the help of those at the top pulling you up! I must admit though that I am not sure how many more attempts I had left in me because my mind was starting to "talk" to me!  But, nevertheless, I did it!  Here is what I'm talking about if you want to see it for yourself...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf_Ox4rZm0Q

Now, fast forward 2 years and we decided to get the team together and do it again.  This time they had a new and improved version of Mt. Everest.  The word on the street was that it was harder...the wall was a little higher and they rounded out the top ledge so you couldn't jump and grab it...you would have to rely solely on the people at the top hopefully catching you and pulling you up! 

When we approached this obstacle, I had convinced myself that it was an opportunity to accomplish something against the odds instead of playing in my mind off past experience with this obstacle and what people were saying and even the voices in my head trying to tell me I couldn't do it!  I had made a decision that I would embrace this obstacle and beat the odds.  That even though this one was harder and I had a difficult time with the 1st one, that I would go all in with everything I had...no holding back...no listening to what others were saying...no thinking I will try to do this! 

My mental position was that I WAS going to do this and that there was a victory waiting just on the other side! 

That victory is like your victory every time you get through your workout no matter how you feel or what voices are going off in your head or every time you choose to have skip the fries and eat the apple instead.  You will succeed long-term when you get yourself to a place in your mind that each workout that you do is an OPPORTUNITY to get healthier, more fit, feel better and burn calories and that each time you eat is an OPPORTUNITY to move closer to your health/fitness/weightloss goals. 
Instead of dreading the exercise or the apple as a 15 foot slippery wall standing in front of you and trying to defeat you, think of that wall as an opportunity for VICTORY! 

As I have been saying, change your mind and then change your body!  When you diet, you are not changing your mind...you are just following something temporarily that only changes your body temporarily!  That is what I call the Diet Disease!  It is a disease that approaches weight loss like an obstacle and not an opportunity! 

I will leave you with this...

As the pessimist and optimist were arguing over whether the glass was half full or half empty, the opportunist drank it!  Become the opportunist!  Don't sit around analyzing your perceived obstacles, move boldly towards OPPORTUNITY! 

Your Defeat The Fat Coach,

Clayton

DE-program Before You RE-program!

You could really apply this principle to just about anything, but I want to specifically apply it to weight loss and health!  So many people fall into the INSANITY CYCLE of thinking that the latest new weight loss program or health fad will be their ticket to:

Finally getting the weight off that has been handing around for years... 

AND/OR

Achieving the ever so elusive optimum health...

Here's the trick...although that latest, greatest program may indeed be great or the newest health fad may actually help improve one's health...

NOTHING REALLY CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES! 

What I mean by that is if you haven't DE-PROGRAMMED your mind and core belief system, no RE-PROGRAM; no matter how good; will stick long-term!  Think of it this way...

Over time, your computer collects a lot of JUNK on it!  Spyware, malware, viruses, stored data, outdated software, memory overload, etc.  Because these things are HARD-WIRED on the computer, they will affect day to day operation anytime you use it!  And, just because you get the latest SUPER version of Windows with all the bells and whistles, it doesn't start your computer from a clean slate!  It doesn't all of a sudden run the exact way you desire and hope it should run just because of this great new program you have ADDED to the "damaged or diseased" computer right!?

What you need to do is UNINSTALL some pre-existing programs, remove all viruses, spyware, malware, etc., and CLEAN UP the computer BEFORE you re-program!  The new program WILL NOT work as intended if it has to COMPETE with pre-existing conditions on the HARD DRIVE!

Are you getting my point?  If you truly want to see CHANGE in your body LONG-TERM, you must first UNINSTALL the previous mindset of all the behaviors and beliefs (fear, doubt, hate, unforgiveness, anger, LIES) that lead to you being overweight and unhealthy!  All the JUNK in your brain such as eating for reasons other than being hungry, punishing yourself because of perceived things in the past or how you feel presently, eating foods to try to cover past hurt you experienced, not putting any value on exercise or healthy living, believing your lifestyle is either good enough or that you don't deserve better, etc.  These are all viruses, spyware, malware in your brain that will never let you have a successful RE-PROGRAM unless you first DE-PROGRAM these mindsets, beliefs, past hurts, etc.

Wipe the slate CLEAN through prayer, surrounding yourself with the right people, reading some encouraging and revelational books, declaring TRUTHS over you life, identifying and eliminating bad habits that prevent you from de-programming!  Once you have found your way and have a NEW HARD DRIVE, you can then LOAD the NEW PROGRAM and see LIFESTYLE results like you never have before!

I charge you to STOP thinking all you need is a RE-PROGRAM to change your body and health!  Don't load something good onto something bad!  YOU CAN'T POUR FRESH WINE INTO OLD WINESKINS!   There you have it!  Find that DE-PROGRAM button and HIT it FIRST!  Once your COMPUTER is FREE of the viruses, spyware, malware...THEN, add the RIGHT PROGRAM and you will be well on your way!

Your DEFEAT THE FAT Coach,

Clayton

Maybe It's Not The NEXT Thing, But The LAST Thing

As a fitness professional, we encounter this situation sometimes:

Trainer: Follow this program strictly for 6 weeks and then come back and talk to me.

Client:  Ok, I will do it...I'm ready for a change and I will do my best!

(6 or more weeks later)

Client: I got off track, but I am now ready for a new program...something fresh that will get me results!

Trainer: But, you don't need a new and fresh program to get results!

Client:  What do you mean?  What should I do then??

Trainer:  Simple...do the LAST program I gave you that you never finished (or barely started)!


You see, giving up on one thing DOES NOT qualify you to be able to start a new thing!  Yeah, I understand that maybe the last thing was something that you shouldn't have been doing in the first place like a diet...so definitely don't go back and try that again because you will continue to fail with that! 

What I am talking about are the healthy decisions or habits you were making before for a period (however small) of time that you gave up on!  This idea that there is some new magical unicorn plan out there that will get you quick results and that you will be able to bypass healthy LIFESTYLE choices to get there is a complete fabrication! 

Because the last plan, program, healthy lifestyle choices didn't "work" for you because you chose to only commit to short-term doesn't translate into that plan, program or healthy lifestyle choices not working long-term!  As I like to say...

"The bookends of true change are commitment & consistency!"  

You will never see lasting change until you commit to the right plan, program or healthy lifestyle choices and then be consistent with that commitment over the long-term!  NO real change will ever take place if it is short-lived no matter how good the "new and fresh plan" is! 

A marketing trick actually just came to mind right now!  When something is advertised as "new" or "fresh."  Those words appeal to people!  They stimulate our senses and set off our "feel good" hormones!  We jump at those things thinking they will be exactly what we need in the moment, but all the while, the thing we often really need is something that has become "old and stale!" 

It became old and stale because you put it down and let it get moldy!

Just because something has a "perceived" mold on it, doesn't mean it is no good!  Think of blue cheese for example!  Just maybe that healthy habit or lifestyle plan you had going in the past is the very thing you need to pick back up and do again!  But this time with commitment and consistency!  This time, don't give up and don't be put off because there is "mold" on the last thing!  I have told many before that you could have a "new and fresh" cow pie, but that doesn't make it any better!

ACTION Step:  Take a look back and identify ONE healthy habit you used to do but gave up on for whatever reason and PICK that habit back up and start it TODAY! 

Your Health & Fitness Coach,

Clayton

 

The "Credit Card" Diet

Eating credit cards?  Well, that would cause "weight loss," but that is not what I am talking about!

Let me start by giving you a real life scenario that happens all too often...(happened to me too)...

Your going to college and working, but still tight on money because you are only able to work so much as to not take away from your studies (and social life)!  One day, you go down to the post office to check your mailbox and there is a letter from a credit card company offering you "free money!"  With no real understanding of how interest works and that money has to be paid back, you excitedly fill out the form for your "free money" and send it off eagerly awaiting that magical piece of plastic to come in the mail!  When it comes, you rip open the envelope and have already made a list of what you are going to buy.  You go on a spree and all that nice stuff you are buying is looking good and making you feel good at the moment.  But, fast forward a couple months down the road and now your credit card is maxed out and you have received your first credit card BILL!  You seem surprised when you see the amount you owe and that amount is not MORE than the limit!  You start doing the math and realize that just paying the minimum payment won't pay the card off for 30 years!

Fast forward say a couple years and you somehow managed to pay off the credit card balance in full by making extra payments.  The sting of seeing that credit card maxed out and realizing you actually had to pay it back has now faded, so what do you do??  You get another credit card with a higher limit and then max that one out too!  You see the vicious cycle?  And, do you see that the next time was worse than the previous time?

Now that you have that picture in your brain, think of dieting the same way!  You get lured into a diet by a book you read, a person you talked to, something you saw on TV or in a magazine, etc.  The diet is like that shiny plastic credit card.  You start thinking of all the pounds you are going to drop and how good you are going to look and feel.  You can't wait to start knowing how gratifying it will be seeing that scale go down...possibly even after the 1st day!  For the next several weeks, your new weight loss has got you excited and you flaunt it as if it's a new piece of merchandise you just bought!  You are feeling great in the moment!  Fast forward to when you get your first "weight loss bill"!  In other words, when you step on that scale and it has stopped going down and then you take your body-fat% and come to the cold realization that the "weight" you "lost" now has INTEREST attached to it and there is a DEBT to be repaid!  That debt you have is the MUSCLE you lost (60-70% of the weight on the scale) and the "interest" is that your metabolism is now slower and won't burn as many calories each day!

Fast forward months down the road and you have gained all the weight back, BUT, the debt has not been fully paid because you didn't just gain all the muscle you lost back, you gained fat!  But, some time goes by and all you remember is how good that diet made you feel because you were "losing" weight!"  You see the cycle?  And, each time you do another "credit card diet," your metabolism takes more of a beating just like your credit takes a beating when you max out credit cards.  It can take years to recover!

So, let's cut to the chase!  IF you want to stop going into debt and paying interest and live debt-free (fat-free), you need to STOP DIETING!  Dieting WILL rob you of long-term weight loss success and will keep you in debt until the day you die!  If you are READY to cut up the "credit cards" and start living a sustainable lifestyle, it's time to get serious about a real weight loss plan that works and that will PAY YOU INTEREST!    #micdrop

Your Health and Fitness Coach,

Clayton