A Few Friday Thoughts

Happy Friday everybody.

Today's post will revisit our New Year's resolutions. If you have been following along with me here, you know that I am not a believer in traditional New Years Ressy's but am a huge proponent of specific, measurable, achievable goals.

It is now the end of February and we are 15 percent through 2009. Pretty scary. Let's look at the following common goals and see where you are.

1. You wanted to lose 20 pounds by bathing suit season. In order to be on track for your goal you need to be down 3-4 pounds. Are you?

Instead of ripping through a bunch of different goals, let's look at this one. Maybe you aren't down 3 pounds, but instead you are up 3 pounds. Maybe you are down 4 pounds, if so congratulations, keep it going.

If you are not on track right now, take a look at where you went wrong and start doing things to fix it. Set a new goal and a new timeline and get aggressive. If you need my help, just ask.



Have a great weekend,

TSull
tssullivanjr@gmail.com


PS. I started the year at 215 pounds. As of this morning I am at 204 pounds. If I was 216 pounds I would expect you all to stop reading this blog.

Breaking News: Sullivan Training Systems is Moving!

(Top pic is the new space. Bottom Pic is the current space in Braintree.)

I wanted to take an opportunity this morning to update everyone on the "State of STS". As of last week I signed a lease on a new location for the facility. The new facility will be located 5 miles up the road from the current spot at 65 Mathewson Drive, Weymouth, Ma, Suite B. The new spot will give us an opportunity to expand the business due to its size and design. The new space's training area is roughly 4 times the size of the Braintree location allowing for more athletes, staff, new equipment, and the ability to offer different training programs. Needless to say I am very excited about the move which will take place April 1st.

Also I would like to recognize the work of my Real Estate Broker, Colin Greenhalgh. I have known Colin for years but had never dealt with him on a professional level. The process started with me calling Colin one day telling him of my plans to try and secure a new location before Summer '09. From that initial phone call the process and transaction were completely painless for me. Colin handled all of the behind the scenes work, showed me a bunch of different properties and helped me negotiate the best possible deal for my business. If you or anyone you know has any real estate needs, call Colin. He will be handling all of my future needs. He can be reached at cgreenhalgh@gvaboston.com.

The online coaching program I launched a couple months back has been a huge success so far. For $147 I will build you a 12 week training program. This takes all of the guesswork out of training and allows you to hit all of your goals in the process. Let me know if you are interested.

Have a great day,

TSull

tssullivanjr@gmail.com

Response to "Motivation".

Below is an email I received from my good friend, Lance Corporal Mike Aylward, who is stationed over in Iraq right now. If you do not like to read curse words, don't read this.

Hey Sull, as always I loved the blog man. I wanted to leave a comment but I had no idea how so I said whateva and now I am writing an email. My mother was actually asking me like 2 days ago how I was able to motivate myself and train everyday. First I told her that even though we are currently doing nothing and the chances of me getting in any kind of trouble before we leave is miniscule there is always the thought in the back of my mind that my physical fitness relates directly to whether or not I will live or die in certain situations. This doesn't apply to any of your clients but I did tell her a few other things to think about that might. One of those things was that everyday I am confronted with stress, and a shit load of it. Most people with a good job are. One way to alleviate that stress is to work out and work fucking hard. I told her that as long as my body was in pain and sweating so bad that it looked like I pissed myself I was thinking about nothing other than that pain and getting that next damn rep and everything else that has gone on that day disappears for that 30 minutes of straight intensity. This could help your clients out in two different ways, motivate them to get into the gym first of all and then second, get them working on a level that you expect. We both know that if you aren't putting in 100% you aren't going to get desired results. The other thing that I brought up was something from a class that we were given before we deployed and that was on a combat mindset. When I thought about the class I realized that it could be applied to anything, life in general even if you are willing to look at it as combat.In a combat situation there are certain things the body will do automatically, one is the fight or flight instinct. The others are all reactions to stress being imposed. I am not going to get into the whole class but one thing that applies was the question posed to us...how are you going to get the job done without being properly prepared mentally and physically. I know this sounds like moto bullshit but hear me out. One of those stresses is fear. Not matter what the job military or civilian there is always going to be fear involved (especially for civilians now with the economy). One major cause of stress is the fear, and no one likes to say it but it is actually the biggest cause of fear, is that of letting your buddies down (getting someone killed because you can't perform your job correctly). While no one will get killed if someone is too tired to make the important call or email, other peoples hard work has the potential to get fucked up. Where am I going with this? Do you really want to let down a guy who put his faith in you to do a job because you were too tired to fucking get it right? How does that look on your character? "Oh sorry sir, I actually didn't make that call, I was really tired yesterday and went home and figured I would give the client a call in the morning." Thats bullshit, training your body will at the same time train your mind to fucking do the job, overcome stress, overcome fear. Because fuck it, why would you put that weight down and take a breather when you only have to bang out two more reps? Are you going to put your injured buddy down when your fireman carrying him out of a kill zone? Fuck no. The same applies, why would you put off a call and go home when you can make that fucking call right now before you left? It may not seem applicable when you are driving home and can't wait to get on the couch crack a beer and forget the stupid shit that happened during the day but, Training Your Body Trains Your Mind. Maybe thats something a client can tape on their dashboard or put in their little leather work folder thing. I can't believe I just spit that shit out, and I am sorry if it was long winded and moto but I really enjoyed the topic of the blog and I just get fuckin antsy when people talk about motivation and dedication and shit, plus I get sick to my stomach when shitbag marines are like maaan I just can't do it today I'll go in the morning. I love you man. Keep improving lives
Ayls

Motivation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v85eCqEJYBM

We have all been there. You have had a shitty day, you're tired, you hate your boss, your clients, your roommate, whoever. Someone cut you off on the way home from work, you slept like hell last night, you fought with your girlfriend/boyfriend, or that deal that was supposed to pay this month's rent fell through and is not going to close. Some of these factors are outside of your control and others are within your control. The only thing that is 100% within your powers is your reaction to these different things. You can let these things ruin the rest of your evening by going home, putting your sweatpants on, watching a movie in a dark room while feasting on take out, or you can dust yourself off and still get your workout in and keep your life on track. Scientifically, if you do get that workout in you will feel 1000 times better than not working out. Your body releases all sorts of endorphins when you exert yourself and you will forget about your troubles for a little while. So in order to help you get to the gym when you don't feel like it, here are some motivation techniques I have used to get amped up:

1. Revisit your goals. If I don't want to work out, often times taking a look at my goals will add a little gasoline to my inner fire. If you have been following me for a while, open up your powerpoint resolutions and read through them. Will today be a day to move towards your goals or away from them? Your choice.

2. Look at a picture of you at your fattest. I have a couple of pictures that I will pull up on my computer when I was at my heaviest. Never fails for creating a little motivation or self hatred to fuel your workout.

3. Music. Find a go to song that always gets you going, one that you can't help but want to workout and sweat to when you hear it. As cheesy as it sounds when you hear the Rocky 4 training montage song, how the hell are you not going to want to do something.

4. YouTube. On that last topic, find a clip that gets you going. Here are a few of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDko7Utfqdg Rocky 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA No Excuses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o0pv6k37yE "Haka" (probably think I am strange after seeing this one.)

If you hate these ones, find a couple you like.

Bottom Line here: Even if you don't want too, you have to get yourself to the gym.


Hope this helps,

TSull
tssullivanjr@gmail.com

10 Worst Things to Put in Your Gas Tank.

1. Pasta for dinner. I would say that 90 percent of you reading this are looking to slash body fat. Having a pile of pasta before you go to bed is terrible.

2. Potato products. Contrary to popular belief even baked potatoes are a poor choice when trying to cut bodyfat.

3. Pizza Skins. These are just an example but almost every single appetizer you could possibly order is shit (although most are delicious). The only decent appys are shrimp cocktail, raw oysters, salads, and a small cup of chili.

4. Soda. An occasional diet soda is fine. Regular soda is absolute crap, and I am starting to think even diet soda is not great. Even though it has no calories, it is filled with all kinds of chemicals and may spike your blood sugar the same way high octane soda does.

5. Subs. If you were to order a turkey sub, with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and mayo, you are about to put damn near 1000 calories in your body (without the chips and soda). I don't ever want to hear anyone say, "I eat healthy, I had a turkey sub for lunch today."

6. Juice. One glass of juice with breakfast is at best, OK. Juice is loaded with sugar and will give you a rush and a crash. That sensation is from your blood sugar being spiked, followed by an insulin spike which makes you feel like hell.

7. Alcohol. No one wants to hear this one, but it had to be said. Isn't going to stop me from enjoying some pops, just know it is not a good thing to flood your system with.

8. Desserts. No brainer here.

9. 100 Calorie Packs. One quote that I heard that I really like is "Shit is still shit." You might say, "But its only 100 calories..." "Shit is still shit."

10. Cereal. All cereal is prepackaged crap. You should be trying to stay away from processed foods, cereal is no better. Yes granola sucks, Special K sucks, Raisin Bran sucks.

Top 10 Things to put in your body.

1. Water. Try to drink a gallon of this every single day. You will pee a lot but you will feel great.

2. Eggs. These little bastards are low in calories and full of muscle building protein. Eat the whole thing, not just the white.

3. Nuts. Almonds and walnuts in particular. No you can't have the ones covered in salt and other crap.

4. Lean cuts of meat. If you can get grass fed beef at Whole Foods, even better.

5. Seafood. Almost every type is great for you and low in calories. Salmon is the rock star of the group.

6. Metabolic Drive (https://www.t-nation.com/free_online_store). This is the protein supplement I use. Tastes great and works excellent in post workout shakes as well as a quick low cal meal in a pinch.

7. Spinach. My favorite part of this stuff is you can toss it into a pan with your eggs and it will sweat down to nothing. You can put two cups in and it will look like nothing when its cooked.

8. Frozen Mixed Berries. Add to smoothies, oatmeal, etc. Frozen is cheaper and more convenient.

9. Chicken Breast. Easiest use? Toss it in a pan with a little oil and a pile of veggies for a quick easy meal.

10. Bell Peppers in every color. Bell Peppers are loaded with all kinds of essential vitamins and are super low in calories. Another reason why they make the list is because of versatility. You can put them in omelets, stir frys and salads.

10a. Green Tea. Studies show that you can't drink enough of this stuff.

Friday February 6th. Having Fun, Staying Lean.

I have been dragging ass a bit this week as far as blogging goes. Sorry about that. For what its worth I have been busy trying to get things squared away for the new location. I will post some photos and details of the big move as they become available.

Here we go.

Having fun, Staying Lean.

Impossible! You can't drink, have fun, eat shitty food and maintain a dynamite physique. Or can you?

Let's look at a common scenario for the average Bostonian bar hopper. Let's say you live in Southie as most young professionals do. A regular Saturday for you may look like this:

5pm: Head over to Susie's house with a bottle of wine/case of beer/bottle of goose.

5:18pm: Start playing catch phrase with 4-5 friends, have a few cocktails, talk about what a shitty week you had.

8pm: Mosey on down to the Beer Garden so you can grab a table and continue to have drinks for a few hours.

10:30pm-1:30am: hop around to three different bars downtown to top the night off.

Here is where most people get derailed:

1. While playing scategories over at Michelle's house before the bar they have a few cheez its, pretzels, and some tostitos before the bar.

2. Once they get to the bar they have "dinner" even though they just ate 600 calories worth of poo at Erin's house. Dinner isn't usually grilled fish and asparagus after having 3 drinks. It is more than likely a BBQ bacon cheeseburger with fries because Larry at the table next to you had one and it looked delicious.

3. During the course of the night you have sugary, calorie laden drinks (Beer, shots, booze mixed with juice, etc).

4. And if you end up in Faneuil Hall at 2am after a long night of cocktails, even the most dedicated dieter can't pass up a little street meat.

I may be way off here and this may be overkill for your Saturday night but, I don't think I am that far off for a lot of you give or take a sausage or a slice of pizza.

Here are a couple tips to help you battle the bulge.

1. Don't stop hanging out with friends and going to bars. No one will like you. Priority A is to have a blast as often as possible.

2. When you are at Jessica's Condo before the bar, don't snack. Eat a small meal before you get there so you aren't as tempted. Also, stay out of arms reach of the goodies, otherwise you will be elbow deep before you know it.

3. When you get to the Beer Garden, fill yourself up on some decent food. Instead of a burger, get a grilled chicken wrap with a cup of chili or soup instead of fries.

4. Drink Vodka and Sodas with 3 slices of lime. If you drink a decent vodka with soda (Not tonic water which is loaded with sugar) you will stay hydrated all night and feel way better the next morning. Trust me, lot of practice.


Is this easy? Depends. If your friends are on board, then yes. If not, it is a little harder. If maintaining a great bod were easy, Beantown would be filled with walking Greek Statues and Statuettes, and we know that isn't true.


Have a great weekend.

Get after it,


TSull
tssullivanjr@gmail.com

Super Bowl Weekend in Review

This past weekend I headed north to Vermont and New York State to watch my brother play hockey for Babson. They played well at Castleton and won 7-2, then turned around and pissed one away the following day to Skidmore 4-1. My Dad and I spent Friday night at a Best Western in Rutland Vermont. We arrived at the hotel at about 5pm, which is two hours before game time at Castleton. The plan for the night was to go to the game, go out to dinner, and have a few beers back at the hotel. Knowing that I was going to be having a decent sized meal, and some wobbly sauce later in the evening, we decided to sneak a workout in down at the hotel. We headed down to the lobby area where the "fitness center" was located. The "fitness center" was a room with the square footage of a penalty box with a treadmill, stairmaster, and stationary bike. Each cardio piece was minimum 15 years old and borderline operational. I began to pace around to think about how to put together the training session when I noticed the reserve water jug refills for the water cooler. These things weigh maybe 35 pounds and were just the tool we needed. We squatted with them, rowed them and did some other bodyweight exercises in a 15 minute circuit. During the session we worked up a serious sweat, and ramped up the metabolism. Not to mention loosening up the old joints after the 3+ hour car ride. Even though these weren't optimal conditions, it is these little workouts that will help you stay on track with all of your physique goals.


Super Bowl Sunday

SBS is a holiday where I don't believe you should try to diet through. It is an occasion to eat and relax and be with friends and family. I knew I was going to be eating a pretty impressive spread, so I made sure to train in the morning when I woke up.

I thought the game was an excellent watch, enjoyed the boss at halftime (I thought Glory Days was his best song), and laughed out loud at some of the commercials. My favorite commercial moments were the guy being thrown out the window (Bud Light), and the career builder commercial with the woman screaming in her car, followed by the koala bear being punched in the face.

Progress Report

Where are you on your goals or New Years Resolutions? Have you made significant progress? If so, congratulations. If not, why not just set a new goal and get yourself back on track. No sense beating yourself up about failing on your resolution, just set a new goal, dust yourself off and get back after it. Personally I am down about 8 pounds, on my way back to 190 lbs of twisted steel by March 31st.

If I can help you at all drop me a line.

Best,

TSull
tssullivanjr@gmail.com