What Do You See When You Look In The Mirror?

Most people dread getting up in the morning and having to go to a lousy job and feeling like crap. When they look in the mirror, they see what they feel and think. Your reflection homes the image you create and what you will let in for the rest of the day. We have all been there and we're human, it happens. Some days, I feel great and my body just generates what I see; other days, I feel like crap and my body and expression shows it.

We can't be perfect all the time and why should we? We can only do so much but yet we can improve on what our day will be the first few seconds we get up. Even on days off, we still build an image and it reflects what we see. It's not easy building our self image and automatically have it reflect so we form habits and habits transition to what we feel, see and do without thinking about it.

In the Theater Of The Mind, we can create whatever we desire and what we feel and what we WANT to see, not just take a glance but to put energy, commitment and strengthen what we see of ourselves. I'm constantly learning this and using this technique in different aspects and goals I desire to do. I've used it to help me with my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and although I have long road ahead, I'm moving faster, lasting longer and edging closer to applying submissions. I have used it to aid in my self confidence and have made choices that have created income, generated great strength in my workouts and more.

Create what you want to see, strengthen how you see yourself in the mirror in your mind and put powerful energy into it. What you put energy into, will reflect what you see in physical form. Strengthen who you are, tackle those mental obstacles and build confidence in how you want to see yourself. Nobody likes seeing themselves looking like crap but yet we automatically channel our energy into it out of habit and become or see what is reflected.

No matter how strong your image is, there's always room for improvement. Think of this analogy on Disneyland....It will never be finished because there's always room to add something incredible. Everyone has a Disneyland in them even if you're not a fan of Disney or the cartoons and movies because like the park itself, you never have to stop improving and strengthening the most awesome version of yourself. The room for improvement is always expanding and there's always a great big and beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away which means in your mind, you are an expansion and have the ability to build a more powerful and beautiful version of you.

So the next time you look in the mirror, practice this analogy and apply it to your self image and what you want to see in that mirror.

Do Animals Play Poker?

If you have a WILD and crazy imagination, it wouldn't be too much to think you can see certain animals playing cards. Poker back in the day (maybe even now) was a guys game where you had your boys shooting the breeze, kicking back, guzzling some beers and have a cigar (at least that's the stereotype) but you don't need to gamble away to have a good time. In fitness, a deck of cards workout is quite the challenge and can be used in a variety of ways. It was made popular by the late Karl Gotch in Japan where he had his wrestlers do Squats, Push-ups and other exercise to torture them to get the most out of their conditioning. Other athletes have used this form of workout such as Ric Flair, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson and others.

Although it has become a type of trend, there's no denying that when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it can take your cardio to a whole other dimension. With the right exercises (mainly bodyweight style), you can increase your muscular and cardiovascular endurance, speed, long-term strength and overall fitness. I loved doing Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats and other exercises in the DOC workout and have hit high numbers when finishing the deck at one time but with my focus on Animal Movements, I switched things up to doing 3-4 Animal Moves and work my way through the deck. This can be done just about anywhere, hell I did it in my own living room.

I took the numbers game I learned from Matt Furey's Exercise Bible and made it into the Animal Realm. I don't like being stationary and love to move around so I felt the need to make it fun for me. The numbers are each step you take and are very simple.....

1-10= Face Valued Reps

Face Cards= 15 Reps

Ace= 20 Reps

Jokers= 50-100 Reps Of Your Choice Of Animal

Pick the animal(s) you want to do and have at it. It's a lot of fun and really kick starts your cardio into overdrive. This is a great combo for athletes in many sports especially in MMA. It takes me roughly 18-20 minutes to complete this workout and it feels incredible every time. Don't like the numbers? You an always lower the face cards and aces & jokers or if you're in crazy shape, you can double or triple them. If you plan on doing Burpees, I'd recommend you keep solid form as possible for those cards because once you become sloppy, you can hurt yourself, let's not let that happen ok.

Although it is a challenging workout, it won't feel like a workout and you're just playing a game. You can do this with a partner where you can either flip a card for each of you or you each have a deck and see who's the fastest to get through it. For the animal moves, you don't have to do reps, you can take it outside at a park or in the yard and go for feet, yards, meters or whatever you choose to do. It is your game and do what you makes you feel good to do it.

Kids can play this game as a way to get out that excess energy and if you have a kid that needs an emotional uplift, this can be an awesome idea. Kids are normally energetic and need to use it productively and if they have friends to play with, it makes it even more awesome. I love these kinds of workouts because it brings out a side of me that is extra joyful, having that spring in my step and creates a phenomenal endorphin high. It helps me stay coordinated forcing to use my brain and my body that isn't in the norm. Whether you're 10 years or over 80, having strong motor skills and being in solid mental and physical condition keeps you healthy and produces strong brain cells and increases in memory, functioning of the organs, strong lungs and gives you greater power in your joints and ligaments.

Have fun with this and don't be alarmed if after a while, you'll have a greater sense of awareness, longer lasting strength, energy that would baffle the average person and for someone older, feel young again. I use this to get my cardio up for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and taking on some guys nearly half my age. Make it a part of your program and see what happens. What have you got to lose?

Abdominal Isometrics

Our Core Muscles are a key component to living in great physical health. The problem with today's methods is that they don't go beyond just the muscles. The old-time strongmen had some of the strongest Abs on the planet and they weren't from doing endless sit-ups and crunches. They took the time and effort to train these muscles beyond the muscular structure; they trained the organs as well.

One of the greatest wrestlers in American History was the legendary Martin "Farmer" Burns taught a series of exercises in his mail order course Lessons In Wrestling & Physical Culture. One of these exercises is known today as The Stomach Flattener where you contract the abdominals for a few seconds and repeat. It is a powerful exercise that can be done anywhere and at anytime. The way to do it for best results is to inhale as much as possible and than as you exhale, you breathe out making the "SSS" sound for 6-8 seconds.

Crunches and Sit-Ups are good beginning and intermediate training and Sit-Ups have been a staple for conditioning in various sports. However; you can only take these types to a degree when there's a whole other world of Ab training that can help not just build muscle but strengthen your insides very strongly. Isometrics for the Abs can be done in a variety of ways; one comes from the course called 7 Seconds To A Perfect Body. You can do Isometrics for the abs in another course called Gymnastic Abs where you take your Core Training to another level, learning the conditioning methods of a Gymnast.

There are certain exercises that can weaken the abdominal chain and can put a strain on the lower back so it is important to find the best ones suited for you. After learning about Abdominal Conditioning through Isometric training, I never done an ab machine workout again. I once did 1000 crunches in a workout and have done crunches for a while when I was a late teen cause that's what I thought built abs when all I got was a hurt back, strained hips and abdominal pain. After training on exercises that focused on the whole body and using deep breathing techniques, my core got stronger and gave me awesome stamina and strength.

Train like the old-timers and learn the real aspects of Abdominal Training. They're more than just bits of muscle. 

Staying Active Throughout The Day (For Android Users)

Many people have busy schedules and can't always cram in a workout when they want to. It's not easy juggling life, a mortgage, a marriage, kids, PTA meetings and Gatherings but you always have a little time to exercise. Instead of thinking you only have this much time and you can't exercise, change it to "What can I do quickly?"

There was a course I use to promote called Muscle Reminders by my friend and gymnast/entertainer Cess De Kok. What this taught was resetting the mind and thinking differently in terms on how you can exercise daily without needing to do one particular workout. He used the idea of doing different exercises throughout the day whether at the grocery store, in your car (only at a red light or stop sign), at the park, in your hotel room or while strolling on the beach.

Our lives don't ever have to interfere with our way of staying fit. You can join the gym and do your thing but you may not always have that opportunity so it is important you still believe you can get some exercise in even if you only do a few at a time. Since a lot of us are obsessed with our phones, why not make it useful instead of always posting selfies or taking pictures of your food. There's an App for many things and a few of them are from one of my favorite websites and that's Darebee where you can find workouts you can do just about anywhere and can be modified to your level.

Three of these Apps are.....

1. Fit Tap:

A fun and active way to do exercises throughout the day or can be played by friends and family and challenging each other in a productive way. Are you up to the challenge?

2. Pocket Workouts

A massive collection of approx 250 Workouts you can choose from that are divided into different categories. Each one has a workout that has three sets of levels for determining your fitness level. Some are easy, some are very difficult but you can adjust them however you want and if you can't do all three levels in the same workout than pace yourself and see what you can do or you can do a certain level at certain points during the day. Each round takes roughly a couple minutes at best so if you're short on time, do a quick round and go from there. Make it work for you.

3. 100 Office Workouts:

These can come in handy while you're on break at work. Easy to follow and again can be adjusted if needed. Don't hold yourself back and get fit, even at your job.

All of these are free to download or you can choose to download them for less than a dollar. The "Champion" Version is virtually identical. All it is is a donation to the site so they can keep you up to date with workouts, programs and challenges.

I do this every now and then and at times make a full workout out of the Fit Tap App. Don't ever get discouraged and make the best of what you can. If you're really into these workouts, check out the site or grab one of their programs in book form either on Kindle or Paperback such as....

Hero's Journey

Fighter's Codex

Volumes 1 & 2 each containing 100 Workouts

 1000 Workouts

All books sold have a donation go to the site. Have fun and stay active for you and your friends/family.

1 Minute Animal Walks A Day

In mainstream fitness, there's an arbitrary set of rules for exercises in how they are mapped out and what this does for your cardio, this for your strength and so on and so forth. Numbers are good in the sense of what your goal is and what is allotted on paper but there are times where we just want to forget all that crap and just go and kick ass. There's even a format with how much time you're "allowed" in how long a workout should be and it has to be done in this amount of time.

I don't always believe in "closed in" or limited numbers or time when I train. I go by what makes me happy and pushes me when i'm most interested. Hell last night I did a deck of cards workout and only lasted about halfway in; not because I was exhausted but because I got bored and when my mind stops being in that zone, I'm not going push any further. I have beaten the deck many times in the past and have beaten it at least once recently. Where do the animals come into play here?

As you know, animal movements are my go to exercises and yeah I play the numbers game seeing how many steps I can take in a workout or throughout the day (my best is around 2000) but I also just want to move and play. I still get great results and my mindset is dead on from beginning to end. Some days, I go for endurance, others; i'd just go for a minute or 2 on a couple animals each and that's it. Animal Workouts can be done anyway you want them to and can do them at your pace, your own level of progression and you can spend as much time on them as you want or capable of.

Let's start making a habit each day to move like an animal for 1 minute whether it be a bear crawl, crab walk, tiger walk, duck walk, Squat/Jump like a frog, hop like a bunny rabbit or whatever you decide but do it for up to 1 minute. This could be a great start for a beginner or a warm up for an advanced animal mover, either way you're going to find something going on in your body that isn't just the muscles and tendons. If you're in a house or indoors and there isn't a ton of room, you can do a few steps forward and back, take a few steps and turn around and repeat or whatever but keep going for a full minute. If it's too much for you, do 30 seconds. You don't have go fast and be like the Flash but just move and focus on the placement of the hands plus breathing naturally.

Doing one minute of exercise can get your heart rate up if you do it right. A minute may not be much but it can have a huge impact on the beginning to your day. You're stretching the body, you're opening up the brain and you're training the tendons. If you wanted to do a full workout, just add on animals and do no more than 20 total minutes of exercise. Because of the intensity, a solid workout shouldn't take that long anyway and you're getting those major attributes done for the day; cardio, strength training, conditioning, coordination, flexibility, agility, muscular endurance, strength endurance and power all done at the same time.

Do 1 minute of animal movement a day and feel how good you'll be afterwards. Think of the energy you'll spring up, the endorphin high that helps you stay smiling and the mental focus you'll generate for later in the day. Animals are amazing for exercise and they open up doors to a whole new world for you when you do them consistently.

Go to the animal pictures and courses on the right side of this blog and learn what animals you can do just starting at 1 minute a day.