I heard a phrase the other day “A person starts by having habits then the Habits have the person.”  This is so true and we all have habits both good and not so good.  The trick is to become of the Habits that we want to change and find ways to make changes or even break these habits.  It takes approximately 21 days for a new habit to set in.  After this magical 21 days you will not have to think about it as much to perform the same activity.

It does not matter if you are trying to lose weight, start a new workout routine or you want to read more books these 3 tools below will help you change or create new and better habits.  Imagine by the end of this month you could be locked into a new Habit that you have created.  It is in your grasp so lets get started.

1)  Get more Sleep.

Millions of people are not getting the sleep that there body requires and when they do sleep it is not a quality sleep so we wake up tired and unfocused.  Bad sleeping habits lead to a myriad of health problems and has been linked to obesity, ED and even marital problems.  There is not a magic number but there are some guidelines that we can go by based on your age.

So tonight start with a set bed time and do not deviate for 21 days.  It is also recommended that you do not eat or exercise within 2 to 4 hours of your bedtime.  The increase in blood flow will disrupt your REM cycle.

2) Write it Down

Creating a log of the habits that you want to change is one of the quickest and best ways to keep track of your progress.  When I have a new client that is looking to lose weight the very first thing I will have them do is to start writing down everything they drink and eat.  This simple step automatically brings your habits to the front of your mind.  When there is a sheet of paper laid out after the day for you to see that you are eating 3 honey buns and drinking 4 moutain dews in a day (this was my experience) it will be a shock.  The only cost associated with this is a small notebook and pen.

3) Have an Accountability Partner

We make promises to ourselves everyday that we do not keep.  How many times have you said “Self, tomorrow you are waking up at 4am and getting your workout in before the kids get up!”  Then the next time 4am rolls around you roll to the other side of the bed and just say “Maybe tomorrow.”  Now if you had a friend that you knew was going to be knocking on your door at 4am reading to workout that would change things.  Find someone that you can talk to about the challenges and changes you want to accomplish.  It is best if you can talk, text or email them everyday for that needed encouragement.  If you can not find a person local or you would just like to have another accountability partner please contact me.  A little secret I will let you in on is that helping you actually helps me.  I know that if I am not eating right or working out then how can I encourage or help someone else to do those things.

If you start with these 3 habits then there is nothing you can not change over time.  These are very easy things that you can do but the danger is they are also very easy things that you can not do too.  So tonight set your bedtime, write down what you did that day and find an Accountability or Success Partner.  So tell me what habits would you most liek to change in your life?  Leave a message in the comments.

We ran a 5K race this weekend and my wife Jenda told the story much better than I could.  Enjoy!

–Matthew

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Several weeks ago, my family decided we would run a 5K together.  We invited some family friends to run with us, and they excitedly accepted the invitation.  As time drew nearer, the excitement of the run lessened, however, both families thought the other family wanted to run and didn’t want to back out.  So, there we were…all 9 of us, registered for a race that we weren’t really pumped about.  (Granted, as far as I know, no one dreaded the race, we just would not have registered had we not already committed.)

Race day came and everyone partnered with their “running buddy”.  The course was nice and flat and the weather was as nice as it could be for an Alabama summer morning.  I was so excited to have Matthew and the kids join me for a run.  I love to run and I love my family, so to have the two together was simply perfect for me!  I look forward to the time when Scott (my 3 year old) joins us too!

We all finished in great time!  We all had a great time!  It was so fun!  This was very possibly the best race I had ever run (probably because of my awesome running buddy)!  And to top it off, Emma Grace won 3rd place for female 0-9 years and Clay won 3rd place for male 0-9 years.  They both received medals!  This was soooo cool!  Ryan’s friend Dylan came in 4th for male 10-14 years and Ryan was close behind him in 5th place.   The race no one wanted to run quickly turned into the race we couldn’t wait to run again next year!

How about you?  Have you ever wanted to run and didn’t know where to start?  Do you think you’re too out of shape to run?  Have you just decided that you could never run any number of miles, so you aren’t even going to try?  Well, I am here to tell you that if I can do it, so can you!!!  When I first began training 3 years ago, I could barely run 1 minute.  Really!  I would run 1 minute and walk 3 minutes…and that 1 minute was extremely hard for me.

Here are some tips to help you get started!

Walk it out! – If you feel you are not ready to jog or run, you can walk.  Begin walking for 3 days each week for 20 (then 30) minutes, at a pace that gets your heart rate up.  Continue this step until you are able to maintain a fast pace walk for 30 minutes.

Walk/jog intervals – Once you are able to maintain a brisk walk for 30 minutes, you are ready to begin intervals.  Walk quickly for 5 minutes to get your heart rate up.  Then, jog 2 minutes and walk 3 minutes.  Repeat for 20 minutes, then slower the pace and walk 5 minutes to cool down.

Increase/Decrease intervals-  Decrease minutes walking by 1 and increase jogging by 2 minutes until you can comfortably jog 4 minutes and walk 1 minute for 30 minutes.  At this point, I believe you will be ready to begin the Couch to 5K running program.

Couch to 5K – This is a 12 week program that will prepare you to run 3.12 miles.  http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

There is an epidemic in this country that I am sure you are aware off and that is the trend of obesity with our kids.  Yes the adult population has also grown in girth but the scary statistic is what is happening to our kids.  Think back to when you were a kid.  I am not blaming anything or anybody but ourselves.  Yes outside forces can have an impact on us and our kids but I am responsible for me and you are responsible for you.  Our kids however do look to us and our actions in how they learn to live and take responsibility.  So I want to give you some fun examples and ideas on how you can make activities for your kids fun.

This past weekend I ran my first individual duathlon.  A duathlon is were you run, bike, run.  This particular event I had to run 2.5 miles, bike 10 miles, and run 2.5 miles again.  While I was training for this event my oldest son Ryan (9) and his friend wanted to do the race too.  We learned that you can also enter a duathlon as a team.  So my wife Jenda jumped in as the bike leg of the event.  They were called the speedy 3 and even worked on t-shirts to wear while they ran.  They had a great time with all the excitement of the race actives and getting to cheer on the other members of the team.  Your child might not be ready to run 2.5 miles but there will be other local events you can all do as a family.  If you are looking for Duathlon’s and Triathlon’s in your area go to www.trifind.com

We ran the duathlon on Saturday and on Sunday I took my oldest boys Ryan and Clay to my favorite indoor rock climbing place in Birmingham 1st Ave Rocks.  I had purchased a livingsocial coupon a few months ago and it was going to expire today so we got in the car and drove down to have some fun.  The particular type of rock climbing is called bouldering.  I am by far no expert but I do know that is is a lot of fun.  I am amazed by how fast my boys can climb to the top before I even get my shoes on my feet.  Bouldering walls are only 12-14 feet and there are very large crash pads that you can fall on so there are no harnesses.  The challenge is to follow the colored tape to the target at the top without touching any other holds that might have different colors.  The difficulty levels go from climbing a ladder to turning sidewise upside-down while holding on by your pinky.  It is not a fast paced activity because everyone takes turns watching and helping others figure out how to best climb.  Look for a local indoor rock climbing gym in your area and give it a try.  It is so much fun.

Organized sports are great and I played them throughout my childhood but they were not my most memorable.  One game that I learned to play in College is called Ultimate Frisbee.  To play all you need a a frisbee and an open field.  The official rules call for a football sized field and each team to have 11 people.  You can also play with just 3 on 3 and make the field smaller if needed.  The rules are that  you have to pass the frisbee within 10 seconds of catching it and you cannot move while you hold the frisbee.  To score you will need to pass the frisbee to a person while they are in the endzone.  Ultimate Frisbee is like soccer and football thrown together with no tackling.

If you have very young kids like I do then just getting outside or going to a park to roll a beach-ball around is a lot of fun.  Kids know how to naturally just go outside and run.  Go with them and run and play like they do.  It is tiring to play as hard as a 2 or 3 year old but oh so fun.  It is ok to act like a kid again.  I figure as long as I play like a kid then that’s how I will feel.

Insanity:Asylum is the latest workout to come out from Beachbody and is the add on to the popular Insanity.  Asylum is only a 30 day workout series and is focused on Sports Performance.  I can honestly say that this is one of the best programs to use if you are training for most any kind of sport.  Asylum is not a program that you will lose 30 lbs in 30 days but you will see incredible gains in athletic performance.

There are 6 Workouts that come with this program and the reviews of each workout are listed below.

Speed & Agility

Strength

Back to Core

Vertical Plyo

Game Day & Overtime

The calendar for Asylum is not laid out in the typical 6 day or workouts and 1 day of rest.  Instead it has a schedule more familiar with a game schedule.  The workouts are so intense that at the beginning you will need the extra rest day.  What I am calling a rest day is actually a day when you do Relief but I look forward to this workout.  It is just a nice 20min routine of stetting which your body needs to recover.

When you start the program the first workout that you will do is the Performance assessment.  Here are my starting numbers and final numbers

Agility Heisman = 5/10 (got tangled up and I know I can do better)

In & Out Ab Progression = 28/45

Lat-Pushups = 13/22 (need to measure pullups which will be much lower)

Mountain Climber Switch Kicks = 45/80

Agility Shoulder Taps = 5.5/8

X Jumps = 25/35

Agility Lateral Shuffle = 3/13.5 (The first time my brain would not work

Agility Bear Crawl = 5/8

As you can see my numbers jumped from day one!

The Diet Guide.

I followed the guide and the recipes that were in the diet plan.  I was able to drop around 2% bodyfat over the 30 days while maintaining my weight of 190lbs.  The meals in the guide are very easy to prepare and the ingredients are easily found and any grocery store.  The program does have a higher carb intake due to the extreme card that is involved.

The Equipment

I purchased the basic set which comes with an Agility ladder and 2 strength bands, Red and Green.  The program does use a pullup bar but there is always a modification move if you do not have one so it is optional.  The other piece of equipment you will need is a band or dumbbell.  I highly recommend using the dumbbells for the Strength workout.  I started with 15lbs and ended the program using 30lb weights.

Final thought!

If you are an athlete or want to feel like an athlete then this is the program for you.  It is a short 30 day program but you will make progress with your athletic performance.  Asylum also gives you a suggested way to use Asylum with P90X and the original Insanity.

Everyday is new and packed with new moves that really put the burn in my muscles.  Strength has been said to be one of, if not the Hardest workout of Asylum.  While I am typing this my arms and back are still shaking from the beat down I just placed on them.  I have my recovery drink in hand and will probably add in the Relief workout that I reviewed last time.  (Click here for the Relief review)  I also noticed today that each DVD has a set of Howto instructional videos that I highly recommend you watch before doing the workout.  You can practice these moves before you are tired so you know what you should be doing and what your body should feel like in proper form.  

Equipment needed.

If you are familiar with Insanity then you know you are your own equipment but you will need some equipment in the Strength workout.  In Asylum Strength you will need Pullup bar or Bands and Dumbbells.  You do not need a heavy set of dumbbells and I would not recommend using the SelectTech type dumbbells.  I have a pair but I would not want to place my body weight on them in a plank position.  There are moves were you use the dumbbells as pushup stands and I am not sure if these kind of dumbbells would handle that kind of abuse.  You can always move then to the side but it will slow the move down.

The Workout

In the onset of the workout Shaun T tells you that he is not playing around and you will be pushed.  The warmup starts out with weights!  I choose to start with the 20lb dumbbell which quickly felt like kryptonight.  There are 3 levels in each section of the workout and each move is add to for more intensity each level.  There is not a time in the workout where you are working just one body part.  In the first move you curl then squat then jump to plank then do a pushup and that is 1 rep.  The hardest move of the entire workout is called Rock Climbing Switch.  You go into a Chinup and hold your body up while you swap your hand to different grips.  I was able to do 2. 

I believe this is one of the better body workouts I have done.  I still like a good old fashion gym routine where you work one body part at a time but this workout will be a routine I use frequently.  I know I will be sore tonight from this workout which feels good to know I worked hard.  Asylum workouts focus on form and not just throwing weights around so take it slow and make sure you are correct form.  Do not allow your ego to get in the way.  Drop down to 10lb or even alb when needed.  Form is king and Asylum will take your body to a whole new level.