Personal
Out There
12/02/11 01:28 PM
I don’t know who’s out there that actually reads this, but if you are there, thanks! Also - I apologize that I am terrible at blogging. I know that you are dying to hear from me because of my fantastic posts... Things are going along swimmingly for me. I have started doing personal training at my community center and am very excited about that.
I’ve also posted a 25% discount to the Facebook page for the paperback, so have a look. I am answering questions posted to the Facebook page, so interact often!
I’m happy to report that while I am still not yet to my ultimate goal, I am in the best shape I’ve been in in years and have gotten back into a really nice routine. It is interesting to reflect and observe how hard it is to balance life, work and fitness. It seems that it is so easy for others sometimes, but that’s such a big misconception. Whatever you’re challenges are, good luck–you can do break through them!
Ciao and happy Christmas season.
I’ve also posted a 25% discount to the Facebook page for the paperback, so have a look. I am answering questions posted to the Facebook page, so interact often!
I’m happy to report that while I am still not yet to my ultimate goal, I am in the best shape I’ve been in in years and have gotten back into a really nice routine. It is interesting to reflect and observe how hard it is to balance life, work and fitness. It seems that it is so easy for others sometimes, but that’s such a big misconception. Whatever you’re challenges are, good luck–you can do break through them!
Ciao and happy Christmas season.
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Ingrid Michaelson
06/30/11 10:36 PM
One of my favorite artists is Ingrid Michaelson. I really enjoy her music.
Before her song, “The Way I Am” became a huge hit, she was just doing what she loved and looking for a break. I’m glad she got her break because I like her music. I’m also glad she got her break because she seems like a solid and grounded person too.
It’s just inspirational that she was struggling along and now those struggles are behind her. Good for her. And thanks for inspiring me, Ingrid.
Here’s a clip from a recent interview:
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Before her song, “The Way I Am” became a huge hit, she was just doing what she loved and looking for a break. I’m glad she got her break because I like her music. I’m also glad she got her break because she seems like a solid and grounded person too.
It’s just inspirational that she was struggling along and now those struggles are behind her. Good for her. And thanks for inspiring me, Ingrid.
Here’s a clip from a recent interview:
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Risky Business
05/23/11 08:04 PM
I’ve never considered myself a risky person, but I was reflecting today about some of the decisions I’ve made in my life that have been pretty risky.
In the last three years, I’ve basically quit two jobs to move my life in a very different direction. In 2008, I quit my job and moved across the country and wrote The Fat Trainer. Then last year, I helped divest the company I worked for so I could help start Five Degrees Consulting.
I’m still waiting for the positive ROI on these risks, so some days it can be pretty hard. Today was one of those days.
I gotta just keep plugging along because I believe in both the book and my company.
In the last three years, I’ve basically quit two jobs to move my life in a very different direction. In 2008, I quit my job and moved across the country and wrote The Fat Trainer. Then last year, I helped divest the company I worked for so I could help start Five Degrees Consulting.
I’m still waiting for the positive ROI on these risks, so some days it can be pretty hard. Today was one of those days.
I gotta just keep plugging along because I believe in both the book and my company.
I'm Still Here
05/07/10 10:12 PM
First of all, I am sorry that it has been months since my last post! Wow, I can’t believe it’s been this long. I guess the biggest reason for the delay is a combination of my wife being with child and things at my day job getting busier and busier. Well, work is still super busy, but my wife did have our little baby: a baby boy actually. Darin. Mom and child are healthy and doing well.
I have recommitted myself to blogging more often to continue to share with you my experiences and my journey towards optimal health.
I have also had the opportunity to recommit myself to better health and fitness. With the busyness of life, it sure can be hard to do what is right. Well, I’m glad that the warm weather is coming and I can start getting outside more. There is something special about fresh air and sunshine. My current strength routine is a really cool one that I learned from Mens Fitness magazine.
How about that for a random blog post. I’ll do better next time
Thank you for reading!
I have recommitted myself to blogging more often to continue to share with you my experiences and my journey towards optimal health.
I have also had the opportunity to recommit myself to better health and fitness. With the busyness of life, it sure can be hard to do what is right. Well, I’m glad that the warm weather is coming and I can start getting outside more. There is something special about fresh air and sunshine. My current strength routine is a really cool one that I learned from Mens Fitness magazine.
How about that for a random blog post. I’ll do better next time
Thank you for reading!
I'm still here
07/20/09 08:55 PM
I wanna catch you up in my life and provide a small justification of why I haven’t blogged in two months:
I moved and started a new job.
Things are going really well here in Salt Lake for me personally and professionally. I really enjoy working at PeopleSmarts. I also really look forward to the near future and distant future with the company. We have some very fun and innovative training and consulting products we’re working on to help companies be profitable and sustainable. (I do the marketing stuff).
My wife and I moved to our new place in Daybreak at the beginning of June and I love the trail system they have set up. For about three weeks now, I have been getting up and running again. I’ve averaged about 25 miles per week. I’ve been at the plateau of about 220-225 pounds for about six months, so it is nice to be able to get over all of the change in jobs and relocating and get back into the groove of weight loss.
My current goal is to get to 199 lbs by mid September. That is a lot of weight fast, but so far so good.
I’ve been hearing some great feedback from people who have read the book and are implementing some of my suggestions and tips. It is really fun to see and hear people have results. It makes me excited and makes me want to help you wherever I can so always feel free to connect with me.
Holland
I moved and started a new job.
Things are going really well here in Salt Lake for me personally and professionally. I really enjoy working at PeopleSmarts. I also really look forward to the near future and distant future with the company. We have some very fun and innovative training and consulting products we’re working on to help companies be profitable and sustainable. (I do the marketing stuff).
My wife and I moved to our new place in Daybreak at the beginning of June and I love the trail system they have set up. For about three weeks now, I have been getting up and running again. I’ve averaged about 25 miles per week. I’ve been at the plateau of about 220-225 pounds for about six months, so it is nice to be able to get over all of the change in jobs and relocating and get back into the groove of weight loss.
My current goal is to get to 199 lbs by mid September. That is a lot of weight fast, but so far so good.
I’ve been hearing some great feedback from people who have read the book and are implementing some of my suggestions and tips. It is really fun to see and hear people have results. It makes me excited and makes me want to help you wherever I can so always feel free to connect with me.
Holland
New Shoes
05/04/09 10:34 PM
Last week was the week of the new shoe for me. I got two new pairs of shoes. One pair for basketball and one for running. It seems like all of my shoes are wearing out at the same time... I could use some new dress shoes and casual shoes too. Oh well, those can weight
Anyway, the new running shoes are quite nice, Asics Gel-Kinsei. (Similar to the above image.) I tried looking at two local running shops, (Salt Lake Running Company, Wasatch Running) but couldn’t find something within my price target (<$80). I ended up at Sports Authority and while I didn’t get the same type of service as at a running shop, the sales people were very friendly.
This is my second pair of Asics, but I had to choose a different size because Sports Authority doesn’t carry 12.5. I got 13 instead of 12 because it felt better. Well, I ran on the treadmill this morning with the shoes and liked ‘em till the very end when the heel started to rub the wrong way. I’m going to give it another go on my Wednesday run, but will have to return them if they still rub.
So what? Well, it got me thinking of some of the things I learned at my favorite running shop: The Starting Block (in Missouri). The owners are great and the service is wonderful. They do a video gait analysis then recommend shoes that will best help you on your run. I learned that I am a neutral runner which means I run with pretty good form.
I also learned the importance of actually running (on a treadmill) before you buy the shoes. Once you buy them, you can continue to run on a treadmill to be sure they’re right and return/exchange them for the right fit. Also, running shoes should offer about a thumbnails width between the end of the big toe and shoe when standing. This gives the foot plenty of room to move while running.
Finally, I learned that shoes break down over time (~350 miles). If the shoe is broken down inside, even if it looks fine on the exterior, you increase the risk of injury and it can make you sorer faster.
Anyway, the new running shoes are quite nice, Asics Gel-Kinsei. (Similar to the above image.) I tried looking at two local running shops, (Salt Lake Running Company, Wasatch Running) but couldn’t find something within my price target (<$80). I ended up at Sports Authority and while I didn’t get the same type of service as at a running shop, the sales people were very friendly.
This is my second pair of Asics, but I had to choose a different size because Sports Authority doesn’t carry 12.5. I got 13 instead of 12 because it felt better. Well, I ran on the treadmill this morning with the shoes and liked ‘em till the very end when the heel started to rub the wrong way. I’m going to give it another go on my Wednesday run, but will have to return them if they still rub.
So what? Well, it got me thinking of some of the things I learned at my favorite running shop: The Starting Block (in Missouri). The owners are great and the service is wonderful. They do a video gait analysis then recommend shoes that will best help you on your run. I learned that I am a neutral runner which means I run with pretty good form.
I also learned the importance of actually running (on a treadmill) before you buy the shoes. Once you buy them, you can continue to run on a treadmill to be sure they’re right and return/exchange them for the right fit. Also, running shoes should offer about a thumbnails width between the end of the big toe and shoe when standing. This gives the foot plenty of room to move while running.
Finally, I learned that shoes break down over time (~350 miles). If the shoe is broken down inside, even if it looks fine on the exterior, you increase the risk of injury and it can make you sorer faster.
Mini Twitter Explosion
04/15/09 11:49 PM
I haven’t figured out why yet, but in the last few days I’ve had 16 people add themselves as followers to my twitter account (@TheFatTrainer). Perhaps it is my previous blog post about Social Media? Perhaps it is my comment on a friends blog? Perhaps it’s just one of my recent tweets? Perhaps it’s just coincidence...
Well, whatever it is, thank you for following me. I hope I add value to your twitter experience. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in the past month or so that I’ve been on Twitter. I started out just doing updates of when I was going to the gym or what the weather was like, but now I try to be relevant to my book and personal brands and provide useful information or links.
In my opinion, if Twitter will ultimately succeed, it’s users must be useful and relevant to followers.
Thoughts?
Well, whatever it is, thank you for following me. I hope I add value to your twitter experience. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in the past month or so that I’ve been on Twitter. I started out just doing updates of when I was going to the gym or what the weather was like, but now I try to be relevant to my book and personal brands and provide useful information or links.
In my opinion, if Twitter will ultimately succeed, it’s users must be useful and relevant to followers.
Thoughts?
Social Media for Small Business
04/14/09 11:04 PM
While looking for another video on AMEX’s OPEN Forum to show some coworkers the other day and found this video and thought I’d share. It is a quick couple of minutes relating to whether or not small businesses should use social networks to market their products/services.
I agree with the comment that small businesses should use social media marketing, but the communication should be authentic, relevant and useful to their audiences. Engagement, openness and dialogue should be the goal, not selling.
If you’re real, the awareness and revenue will come. (At least that’s what I’m hoping.)
Here’s the video (sorry I can’t embed it - shame on you AMEX!)
http://www.openforum.com/marketing/video_socialgood.html
I agree with the comment that small businesses should use social media marketing, but the communication should be authentic, relevant and useful to their audiences. Engagement, openness and dialogue should be the goal, not selling.
If you’re real, the awareness and revenue will come. (At least that’s what I’m hoping.)
Here’s the video (sorry I can’t embed it - shame on you AMEX!)
http://www.openforum.com/marketing/video_socialgood.html
John Stockton
04/08/09 09:47 PM
My favorite athlete growing up was John Stockton. Durning the Final Four in Detroit, it was announced that he is in the class of 2009 for the basketball hall of fame.
He was hard-nosed, unselfish, extremely skilled and talented and made all of is teammates better. I tried to emulate him in my athletic endeavors and miss seeing him play. I just wanted to take a minute to pay tribute to my sports hero. Here’s a YouTube clip of the announcement:
He was hard-nosed, unselfish, extremely skilled and talented and made all of is teammates better. I tried to emulate him in my athletic endeavors and miss seeing him play. I just wanted to take a minute to pay tribute to my sports hero. Here’s a YouTube clip of the announcement:
Vacation Thoughts
03/24/09 12:01 PM
Well, our wonderful vacation has finally come to an end and we’re now back home. We had a lot of fun. Disney does a lot of things right in terms of marketing, customer service, expectation management, etc. They have things set up down there to make money and lots of it. Oh, and they do provide a fun and memorable experience too.
If you care to hear, here are some of my observations from the trip.
Disney does not provide adequate sidewalks between resorts. For the very few people that would be interested in walking or cycling between the parks or hotels, there isn’t much to do besides be on the roads. As Disney becomes more health conscious and green, perhaps they will add bicycle rental to their transportation options. (Hey, it’d be another revenue stream (if anyone used it)).
While the food in the parks (and everywhere on Disney property) is very expensive, so I appreciate Disney’s open door policy when it comes to bringing in outside food and drinks.
Our hotel (All Star Sports) had no weight or exercise room, while I don’t blame them, it would have been nice. It is my understanding that the more expensive resorts have better exercise options.
Pool hours were until midnight. This didn’t matter to us, but as a child it always made me sad that hotel pools weren’t open later. This is a plus for Disney.
Allegedly, Disney has been working on improving the healthiness of their children’s menu’s. Kids can still have soda and fries as an option, but apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks and the like are commonly the standard side items for kids meals.
Maybe I’ll voice some of my gripes about the Southwest Air flights we used at a later time.
While there are certainly less expensive places to vacation, Walt Disney World provides a great time to spend with those you love. If you haven’t been, I recommend going.
If you care to hear, here are some of my observations from the trip.
Disney does not provide adequate sidewalks between resorts. For the very few people that would be interested in walking or cycling between the parks or hotels, there isn’t much to do besides be on the roads. As Disney becomes more health conscious and green, perhaps they will add bicycle rental to their transportation options. (Hey, it’d be another revenue stream (if anyone used it)).
While the food in the parks (and everywhere on Disney property) is very expensive, so I appreciate Disney’s open door policy when it comes to bringing in outside food and drinks.
Our hotel (All Star Sports) had no weight or exercise room, while I don’t blame them, it would have been nice. It is my understanding that the more expensive resorts have better exercise options.
Pool hours were until midnight. This didn’t matter to us, but as a child it always made me sad that hotel pools weren’t open later. This is a plus for Disney.
Allegedly, Disney has been working on improving the healthiness of their children’s menu’s. Kids can still have soda and fries as an option, but apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks and the like are commonly the standard side items for kids meals.
Maybe I’ll voice some of my gripes about the Southwest Air flights we used at a later time.
While there are certainly less expensive places to vacation, Walt Disney World provides a great time to spend with those you love. If you haven’t been, I recommend going.
Off Kilter
03/09/09 11:00 PM
Ever have a couple crappy days where you just feel off?
Well, while my spirits were fine - my body just felt a little off kilter Sunday and Monday. I think it just happens from time to time, but I also think my dinner (not that tasty and greasy pizza and cookies) from Saturday night, played into it. We were watching my nieces and nephews and we treated them to a take-n-bake pizza. There were some cookies and we had a good time playing with them.
But afterward, both my wife and I just felt ‘blahish’. So anyway, it just felt good to get to the gym tonight and get back on track. I feel so much better now that I kinda got to restart my system. Add rebounding from off-kilterness to the list of reasons to exercise.
p.s. I just looked up the definition of kilter:
“out of harmony or balance : daylight savings throws everybody’s body clock out of kilter.”
I thought that was kind of coincidental
Well, while my spirits were fine - my body just felt a little off kilter Sunday and Monday. I think it just happens from time to time, but I also think my dinner (not that tasty and greasy pizza and cookies) from Saturday night, played into it. We were watching my nieces and nephews and we treated them to a take-n-bake pizza. There were some cookies and we had a good time playing with them.
But afterward, both my wife and I just felt ‘blahish’. So anyway, it just felt good to get to the gym tonight and get back on track. I feel so much better now that I kinda got to restart my system. Add rebounding from off-kilterness to the list of reasons to exercise.
p.s. I just looked up the definition of kilter:
“out of harmony or balance : daylight savings throws everybody’s body clock out of kilter.”
I thought that was kind of coincidental
Passion
03/03/09 02:36 PM
I was thinking about this whole experience (writing the book, making the website, doing strategic marketing, etc.) and am just happy about it. To me it is a lot of fun. It really is a combination of many of my passions. I like to write, I like developing strategy, I like helping people, I like communicating, I like fitness, I like sharing things that I’ve learned, etc. All of these and more are being combined with this project.
Probably the most difficult things are staying balanced among all of the components and putting into structured sentences all of the thoughts and ideas I’ve had for this book. But mostly this is just a lot of fun to me.
I hope through this, I can inspire others to not just get and stay in better shape, but to find their passions and then figure out a way to do those. Life is just so much more enjoyable when you’re doing things that are, well...enjoyable.
Probably the most difficult things are staying balanced among all of the components and putting into structured sentences all of the thoughts and ideas I’ve had for this book. But mostly this is just a lot of fun to me.
I hope through this, I can inspire others to not just get and stay in better shape, but to find their passions and then figure out a way to do those. Life is just so much more enjoyable when you’re doing things that are, well...enjoyable.
Skiing
02/26/09 09:37 PM
I went skiing with my wife, 2 1/2 year old, and sister today. It was a great time. It was my son’s first time skiing. He had a great time, but he is probably a bit too young to really get the hang of it. My sister is a ski instructor and did great with him. He seemed a little more interested in using my ski poles and rolling around in the snow than actually skiing
Anyway, it was a long day and it reminds me how it is nice to be in the position to go skiing once in a while and not be knocked out the next few days. Add ‘minimal soreness after skiing’ to the laundry list of positives that come from getting and being in shape.
p.s. Ski Utah’s slogan - “The Greatest Snow on Earth” isn’t just a slogan - it’s true!
Anyway, it was a long day and it reminds me how it is nice to be in the position to go skiing once in a while and not be knocked out the next few days. Add ‘minimal soreness after skiing’ to the laundry list of positives that come from getting and being in shape.
p.s. Ski Utah’s slogan - “The Greatest Snow on Earth” isn’t just a slogan - it’s true!
Comments
02/19/09 02:56 PM
Let me know if you have any issues with posting comments. I’m using RapidWeaver to make this site, and while I love RW, the comment function is just fine.... Just drop me a line if you need any help, comments, suggestions.
Thanks.
Thanks.
And I'm actually blogging
02/13/09 09:02 PM
Well, it is official. I am making a website, writing a book and am doing the marketing myself. And I’m actually blogging. It is pretty cool actually. Hopefully I can pull this all together and give the world a high quality product at a respectable price. I probably wouldn’t be doing a blog, but I watched this video and decided that he is probably right.
(It’s actually a pretty good video - but in case you don’t wanna watch it - the guy says you should do a blog because it helps you think, it helps you work through processes. I’ll give it a go.)
(It’s actually a pretty good video - but in case you don’t wanna watch it - the guy says you should do a blog because it helps you think, it helps you work through processes. I’ll give it a go.)