The Best Ways to Manage Stress

There are plenty of ways to effectively reduce stress. Many impactful steps, however, might be next to impossible to implement, like reducing your daily commute or improving a toxic work environment. Furthermore, even more realistic measures can be inherently stressful (at first) as they require effort, such as adopting bedtime rituals or planning & preparing meals for the week. You gotta...

Crucial Conversations

Talk is cheap. "Don't tell me, show me" is something I write (or at least think) every day, especially as social media swells with lots of passionate posturing, but not a whole lot of real-world doing. But talk is also incredibly powerful. A simple conversation, with the right person at the right place and right time, can change the course of your life immeasurably. I figured this out in my 20s...

50 Things I’ve Learned This Year

Writing is a pain in the ass. Seriously. Even though I’ve written my share of words over the years I don’t think I’ve ever had a grand old time doing it. I procrastinate, lose my train of thought, and will find almost ANYTHING to do rather than tickle the keyboard. However, as the saying goes, while I do not enjoy writing, I love having written. Especially if it’s something that delivers value...

Fast Paced Fat Loss

If training & coaching has taught me anything, it's that people are incredibly adept at taking a great idea and screwing it up. Sometimes it's because they ignore context. "Big weights builds big muscles, so every exercise should be trained heavy." Yeah, that dog don't hunt. Your chiropractor will love you though. Other times it's too much of a good thing. "Drop sets, rest pause sets,...

9/11 vs. Charlie

I'm a big fan of martial arts. It's a fantastic complement to weight training. It teaches you to channel the strength and power you've developed in the gym while moving freely through space. And if you're sparring, the fight or flight stress hormones surge through your veins, making your breathing shallow and your heart race -- a feeling of panic and terror that everyone should experience in a...

I’m Not Curing Cancer

I say that a lot. Not the most tasteful expression, and maybe inappropriate given my personal touches with the disease. Still I like the message. It reminds me that in terms of "significance to society," what I do for a living ain't too significant. Yesterday a client sent me a high-five. Something I suggested for his diet worked. "Good coaching," he said. My response? "Thanks. Even a broken...

How to Train on Vacation vs. Business Trips

Real life humans have real life issues. Or at least minor lifestyle "conundrums" that, when combined with overwhelm and anxiety (or just being really Type A) can quickly become full-fledged problems. I wrote about dieting on vacation in my last blog but wanted to expand on a side matter that comes up often: what about training, specifically business travel vs. vacations? Do the same rules apply?...