FGCHENG’s BodyBlog

I don’t understand how anyone cannot include working out or exercising a part of their life. I need it for my sanity. We only live once, why not be in the best shape we can be, for a better overall quality of life.

Being sick for 3 weeks, made me realize how much I miss the gym, and working out, I really do need it for my sanity and how I feel physically and mentally.

I stumbled across a great article I’d like to share..

http://stanford.wellsphere.com/mental-health-article/nothing-is-as-bad-as-it-seems/522408
“ Nothing is as good as it seems.  Nothing is as bad as it seems.  Reality is somewhere in between.”

Too often we engage in catastrophic thinking.  Life sometime seems so overwhelming.  We struggle to cope with the recurring stresses in our lives.  We feel stuck in circumstances that seem overbearing.  We tried everything and nothing seems to work.  We feel defeated.  Personality conflicts endure. Misunderstandings and insensitivities abound.  Losses in life accumulate.  Maybe it’s a job loss or declining health.  Maybe it’s a death of someone close to you.  Maybe it’s an illness of a child or family member.  Maybe its financial or spiritual.  Maybe it’s called midlife crisis, divorce, bankruptcy or an illness.

We are convinced it’s as bad as it seems.

I hope it is reassuring for you to realize when you are stretched to the breaking point and emotionally devastated “ it’s not as bad as it’s seems “. There will be solutions.  There will be sufficient inner strength.  There are people who will care and be there for you.  There are solutions inside of yourself to solve your problems.  Look inside of yourself rather than expecting others to change.  Rally your resources and realize tomorrow’s a different day.

What you do today, may work tomorrow as tomorrow is a different day.  What you do tomorrow can be different than what you did today.

You can go from losing to winning even after you’ve had significant defeats and losses.  You can remain confidence in yourself in spite of all of the problems in your life.  Courageously think and work to turn your life around.

Remember, the Law of Attraction.  How you think about your life creates your life.  When life is at it’s worse, your thinking doesn’t have to be at it’s worst.  Think; then actively pursue with confidence and courage the way you want your life to be.

“Nothing Is As Bad As It Seems” is a hopeful and encouraging statement for us to consider, when we are about to lose all hope and motivation.  Even regarding our current economy, might ”Nothing Is As Bad As It Seems” be a better thought that a doomsday thought?

Remember, We Live within the Environment Created by Our Thoughts!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

I did not write this, I just want this in my blog, so I can come back to it, and stay motivated in my journey.

Five Reasons You’re Still Skinny

by Mike Robertson

Let’s clear this up right away: you are not a “hardgainer.” Please stop using the term; it’s so self-defeating. And let’s face it, if you call yourself a hardgainer it’s pretty fair to say you’ve given up on yourself. At the very least you’ve already assumed that’s it going to be ridiculously hard for you to put on any appreciable size. Bull****.

Sure, some of us didn’t exactly hit the genetic lottery, but to get all Tony Robbins on you for a second, a lot of achieving your goals starts with your mindset.

If you truly believe you can get bigger, chances are you’ll    figure out ways to do it.

So let’s stop with the excuses and go over why you’re still    small.

1. You’re Doing Too Much Volume

After working with dozens of guys who have difficulty putting on  size, I’ve found a consistent theme: they train way too much.

Now, I don’t mean they’re overtraining. What I’m talking about are the guys who have a metabolism comparable to a hummingbird hooked on trailer park meth who are still trying to “burn calories” by doing way too much work in the gym.

We’ve all seen the skinny kid at Gold’s doing 57 sets of 12 different exercises. (Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little.) But if you think I’m too off base, here’s the leg day one of my new clients was following before he hired me:

Squat, 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Deadlift, 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Lunges or Leg Press, 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Leg Extension, 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Leg Curl, 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated Calf Raise, 3 sets of 10-20 reps

I can’t even imagine running myself into the ground like  that!

If you’ve got more than five exercises on your agenda on any given day, chances are you’re either making poor exercise selections, or simply not working hard enough on the given    lifts.

If you start each leg workout with two big, compound exercises (like squats and RDL’s or deadlifts and good mornings) for three to four sets and actually work your ass off, chances are you won’t be able to do six to eight more exercises after it.

I remember reading an article by bodybuilding legend Robbie Robinson when I was growing up. Regardless of what you think about bodybuilders, I always got the impression that he was one of the “good guys.” I clearly remember Robbie saying that your goal should be to stimulate the muscle, not destroy it.

Sage words indeed.

And I’m not just harping on the wannabe meat-heads. There are some guys who not only do too much in the weight room, they do too much cardio as well. Apparently they think they can’t get through life without ripped abs. So when you factor in:

• A fast metabolism
• Too much volume in the weight room
• Cardio and a bunch of other random  “stuff”

It’s no wonder they’re not putting on any size.

2. You’re Not Focusing Your Time On the Big    Exercises

We already know that skinny guys love to do a ton of volume, but I haven’t pointed out that most of it’s really “junk volume” on easy exercises.

I know Dave Tate often states he’d rather have someone work balls-out on biceps curls instead of going half-assed on a set of chin-ups, and that’s a great point to make. You have to not only pick the right exercises, but work your ass off on them as well.

Following the Dan John rule (a modification of Pareto’s Principle), the first exercise you do everyday is going to net you eighty percent of your gains.

Training legs? Start with a heavy squat or deadlift    variation.

Upper body? If it’s a push, make sure it’s either a bench or military press variation. If it’s a pull, a heavy rowing exercise or pull-up variation are really the only acceptable options.

You can whine all you want about not getting bigger, but it’s not going to happen if you continue to waste your time on junk exercises or devote an entire training day to getting jacked guns.

Big exercises first. Finishing touches later.

3. You’re Not Committed to Your Eating

If you’re serious about putting on some size, I’d like you    to take the following oath:

“I (state your name) do solemnly swear to eat at least five meals per day. If I can’t eat a whole food meal, I’ll supplement with protein powder instead. I will become as dedicated to my eating plan as I am with my training. If I fail to carry out these rules, may my lifeless, skinny body be consumed by wild animals in the hopes that they can gain the muscle I couldn’t.”

Even if you think you eat enough but still can’t gain muscle, chances are good that you’re doing fine for a few days but then reverting back to your normal eating patterns. It’s just like Joe Public who wants to lose fat. He may eat well and train hard for a few days, but eventually he becomes inconsistent and complacent and goes back to watching Nutrisystem ads and slurping full-sugar Coke.

It’s just damn hard to get enough calories if you’re only eating three times per day. You have to get serious (and consistent) about your eating if you want to pack on the size.

Granted, I understand the boys at Biotest are hard at work at    proving their much-vaunted “3^rd Law,” the one that states the peri-workout nutrition is what really matters and if you take care of your nutritional needs for the approximate 3.5 hour window before and after your training, you’re pretty much set for the day.

I’m open to that idea, but until I see what they’ve    got cooking, I’m gonna recommend that you eat. You don’t need to drink three gallons of milk per day, but you do have to pick up the damn fork and apply the Vulcan death grip.

4. Your Supplement Program Sucks

I’ve written approximately 90 articles for TMUSCLE and    rarely do I mention supplements.

But I’m going to come right out and say it: you must use high-quality supplements if you want to reach your full potential.

Creatine  is an obvious    choice when it comes to packing on the mass. So is a protein powder    like Metabolic Drive® that you can slam throughout the day.

The next step is to dial in your nutrition around your workout. Here’s what I recommend. (Other coaches may have different methods, but all agree on the importance of total workout nutrition.)

Half an hour before your workout, have a high-carb and protein    meal, preferably something like Surge® Recovery, that will supply    your body with energy, cause an insulin spike, and prime your body    to start transporting nutrients.

Halfway through your workout, consume some high-quality amino acids to fuel your muscles and supply them with nutrients to encourage growth.

After your workout, have another protein and carbohydrate-rich    meal.

Now, it works best if you get all three. But if you’re one of those guys who’s prone to over thinking, you have to make sure you do something. So stop lollygagging around, pick a meal (or    preferably all three) and nail it.

5. You Don’t Have a Training    “Foundation”

I see tons of people who come in my gym that are too unstable at one or more joints. It doesn’t sound like a big deal until you realize they simply won’t get the size or strength gains they’re capable of because something is out of whack.

My good friend Justin Ware used to have tons of shoulder issues and never saw the size gains in his chest and upper back that he desired. After a thorough evaluation, it was clear that he was very unstable through his shoulders and upper back. To improve this, we gave him a steady diet of basic scapular stabilization work, and then started re-building a strength base to his upper back.

The result? In his “corrective” program, he added two inches on his chest and upper back simply by turning the right muscles on and getting them stronger!

What’s better, he’s now pain free as    well.

Your body is smarter than you are. If you lack stability at any major joint (knee, hip, shoulder, low back, etc.) your body isn’t going to allow you to continue getting bigger or stronger. In most cases, you’re going to injure yourself. This joint instability also leads to prolonged plateaus where you just don’t seem to make any progress.

How about an example?

Most guys assume that if their bench isn’t going up or they aren’t putting size on their chest, they need to focus and specialize on the bench press. In fact, the opposite is more often true.

They probably lack the necessary upper back stability and strength, and as a result their body puts on the brakes. If they were to take two to three months and really focus on their upper back strength and stability they’d be pretty friggin’ amazed at what happens with their bench total and chest size.

The same thing can be said for the guy who spends all his time on his quads instead of bringing up his glutes and hamstrings. Or the guy who stalls out on his squat because his core isn’t strong enough to support the weight. Quite simply, the weak links in your chain will always hold you back from building your ultimate physique.

It’s not just for the anatomy geeks anymore. Structural    balance between muscles and joints is often the limiting    factor.

To combat this, I’ll often take one to two months every year and re-build the foundation of my clients and athletes to ensure they’re ready to progress forward. This includes dedicated time with a focus on stability, connective tissue strength, and building work capacity.

If you really want to water it down but prep yourself for serious growth, you can spend a month or so every year where you specialize on the backside of your body (upper and lower back, glutes, and hamstrings).

It’s not the sexiest program you’ll ever write, but if you’re unstable and you bring those weak areas up to speed, the next program you embark on may just be your most successful to date.

http://imaginetoday.net/2009/01/14/the-secret-to-making-friends/

I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, “Hi.” They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.

Staring college this year – just like starting any new chapter of life – has been a huge adjustment. On that first warm September morning, as my parent’s car pulled out of the campus, I was met quite quickly with  new freedom, new class structures and expectations, new living arrangements… yet all of that seemed to pale in comparison with the task of finding friends in the sea of new people waiting just outside my dorm-room door. I’m one of the lucky ones, my nervousness manifests itself in the form of chatter; it takes weeks of friendship before I feel comfortable enough to let a few moments of silence go by without saying something. This trait makes it easy for me to make friends, the nervousness almost becomes helpful(even though I do tend to say some fairly cheesy and stupid things) but I always wonder about other people. I have several high-school friends who have had difficulty getting out there and meeting new people because of anxiety and it just makes me wonder; does it really have to be so hard?

It seems to me like little kids have got it all figured out. When you’re in preschool or kindergarten, you don’t worry about looking cool or getting rejected – you just want to play! Most kids will walk up to anyone and start a conversation, because they don’t have the reservations we do, they don’t go into situations expecting them to be awkward. Unfortunately at some point in our development we stop being everyone’s friend, we are trained be be selective; to reject people and to expect rejection… but why? Instead of becoming anxious adults who have to analyze every interaction, play hard-to-get but not too hard; it’s exhausting and I just have to wonder… why can’t we simply be honest? If you want to be someone’s friend walk up to them, introduce yourself, ask them how they are, ask them if they maybe would like to hang out sometime… why not even just point-blank ask them if they want to be friends? I mean, it worked in first grade…

Introducing yourself can’t be the key, however, because anxiety or not even adults know that you have to approach someone in order to start a relationship. So, what’s this key I promised? Its simple; change the way you think. Stop expecting a situation to be awkward, stop worrying about rejection! Yes you may be rejected, but worrying about that possibility does nothing to help you in life. What we forget as we grow up is that relationships are supposed to be fun, not awkward, and we have nothing to lose from walking up to someone and asking them to play! The worst that can happen? They say no and we move on to the next “kid on the playground”… eventually we’ll find someone to play with.

One of my best high school friends became my friend because she approached me, asked me if I’d like to eat lunch with her, and then gave me a hug. Sure, I was a little unsettled at first by how uninhibited the interaction was… I mean, I had just been hugged by someone I met maybe a moment ago. But we ended up having a really good lunch because the tension wasn’t even allowed into the interaction – she just plowed on as if we’d already known each other for ages.

I’m not saying you’ll be best friends with everyone; people have different interests and not every friendship is the perfect match. However, if you put aside adult anxieties and learn to approach people like a kid again you’ll have a much better chance at meeting the people you connect with… because you won’t be afraid to just walk up to them and say hello.

So, a challenge: this week why not try walking up to someone you’re not friends with yet (at school, at work… wherever) and introduce yourself without anxiety! Channel your inner five year old and invite them over for a “play date” (or coffee, or lunch, or something more grown up… you don’t have to take the metaphor too far.) You may get rejected but, more than likely, you’ll soon find yourself with a new friend!

I look down on people who are waiting, who are helpless. I like people who think there is more to life than eating or going to the toilet.

Ever since I was a child, I would say to myself, "There must be more to life than this," and I found that I didn’t want to be like everybody else. I wanted to be different. I wanted to be part of the small percentage of people who were leaders, not the large mass of followers. I think it was because I saw that leaders use 100 percent of their potential. I was always fascinated by people in control of other people.

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. You must want to be the greatest.

As a kid I always idolized the winning athletes. It is one thing to idolize heroes. It is quite another to visualize yourself in their place. When I saw great people, I said to myself: "I can be there."

We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There’s really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.

Good things don’t happen by coincidence. Every dream carries with it certain risks, especially the risk of failure. But I am not stopped by risks. Suppose a great person takes the risk and fails. Then the person must try again. You cannot fail forever. If you try ten times, you have a better chance of making it on the eleventh try than if you didn’t try at all.

What I am most happy about is that I can zero in on a vision of where I want to be in the future. I can see it so clearly in front of me when I daydream that it’s almost a reality. Then I get this easy feeling, and I don’t have to be uptight to get there because I already feel like I’m there, that it’s just a matter of time.

"I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying." — Michael Jordan

"I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." — Michael Jordan

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." — Michael Jordan

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." — Michael Jordan

I just love these.

"You can do anything you want to, if you really want it."

This was an interesting quote I just heard of, and it got me thinking about preparation and being ready. My thoughts then began to see how this applies to life. Are our lives just a continuous stream of opportunities that come along at different points along the timeline? Is life just a long timesheet of preparing ourselves and "readying" ourselves for these opportunities? It’s interesting to think about. I would venture to say yes, but to also acknowledge that there is a lot more to life that fills in the gaps.

Life is most definitely a journey, but between preparation and acquiring knowledge and accomplishing goals, we must learn to embrace the journey and not just the success.

yes, I know this wasn’t really a bodyblog, but I can use this as a life blog too right?