Exercise

Short Chronicle Of My Switch To A Stand Up Desk

Garth Beyer

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  • We put a lot of our weight on our heels. Go bare foot, watch your balance, or get more comfy shoes.
  • I learned that it’s easier to dance. Give yourself the space and posture to move, and you will. (HT Childish Gambino)
  • Standing up encouraged me sneak in some exercises. The problem with sitting at work is that once we sit, we feel like we need to stay sitting. Sitting makes us feel like we’re constantly working. As a result from standing, I’ve done some dips, some squats, and sit up crunches.
  • I sit down to take notes, make phone calls, and read while I snack (not online material)

Notice now that I’m not sharing time stamps, nor telling you for how long I’ve done each thing. The reason being is that you can’t duplicate my schedule. You might not be able to go and take a late afternoon walk outside as I do, thus, I exclude it. You may work through your lunch while I pause my day to read a bit while I eat. You may not get to listen to music and thus miss part of the dancing experience to having a stand up desk.

As it goes with following any idol, trying to replicate their daily routines is a waste. Seth Godin once said that no artist is ever consistent enough for you to do exactly as they do anyway.

  • Sitting finally feels relaxing again instead of a portal back into the work world. Downfall is, I had to get up to write this. Ah, well, so it goes.

Final statement: Give it a shot. Don’t spend money on a high tech one, just craft one for yourself to see if you can adapt to it. Oh, and try to have someone that will rub your feet at night.

 

Stay Positive & Read More About Stand Up Desks

Garth E. Beyer

Unlocking Potential: Interview #2

Garth Beyer

We’re now on our second interview of the Unlocking Potential series. This is a series of interviews I have given to a small pocketful of truly important and respected people. For some of these people, I have never really talked to 1 on 1 until I had the interview like interview #1 with Rose Kendall. Other people like today’s interview, I have only met twice in person and have had my expectations blown to the point I continuously keep in touch.

See, this is what the world calls for, what people seek when they need something. Linchpins, people who care, people who always do more than is asked and have absolutely incredible potential. Help me in unlocking even more potential by reading the following interview with Katie McBody.

Interview: Katie McBody

I’ve been lucky enough to come across this fitness Linchpin through an extension in the family tree. Katie McBody takes fitness to an entirely new level as you will notice in the interview below.

Q: Thank you so much for participating in this interview with me Katie. Before we jump into it, is there any background facts about yourself you want the readers to know?

I have always been active- but never knew my potential in the fitness world until I met my husband, he pushed me in the right direction and has helped me achieve many goals. I started rock climbing and skiing at the age of 4 and later in life I was an instructor in both fields, I was also a softball player into college and now I volunteer my time to coach kids.

Q: What is your life calling, your passion?

Fitness- our bodies were designed to move and I want to share my love of exercise with everyone (especially kids!).

Q: What three habits have you created to continue progressing in that passion?

1. Make time for myself- I schedule a couple hours a day to have alone in the gym/ track/ trail/ climbing that I can use to focus on pushing myself mentally and physically.

2. Involve family- my husband is active duty Army (currently deployed) but when he is home, we spend his lunch break together at the gym. Or we make time to go play soccer as a family with our 4 year old son. Our son also joins me on a lot of my track workouts and participates with modified exercises.

3. Set goals- even if they’re just little goals, accomplishing little challenges you set for yourself is a confidence booster and it keeps you motivated to keep going!

Q: Where do you find your inspiration?

I find inspiration from everywhere. My husband inspires me to keep pushing myself. We have a healthy dose of competition between us, which keeps us pushing our limits physically. I find inspiration at the gym, I’m fortunate enough to be able to train in a facility where a lot of Special Forces members train- so I watch them and try to “compete” with their workouts. I’m also inspired by my clients, especially the ones that show up and give it their all during our sweat sessions. It’s really rewarding to be helping someone better their life by getting them involved with something I’m so dedicated and passionate about.

Q: What is your motto? Why?

“Be yourself and watch it bother other people” I spent a lot of my youth worried about how other people viewed me. Getting older I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter. If you have “haters” it means you’re doing something right. I live with high moral standards and have found self confidence, I may as well be proud of who I am and stop trying to make other’s happy.

Q: What skills do you need to do what you do? How do you train those skills?

You need to get certified as a personal trainer, there are different routes (ACE, ISSA, etc) or college programs to get you there. And then you need dedication to learning more everyday. Be humble and realize that you don’t know everything, and you never will- so keep studying! I try to expand my knowledge and get certified in other fields (next steps is TRX and kettlebell certifications). Plus, I believe that a big part of being a personal trainer is looking the part! Would you want to take fitness advice from someone who was 40lbs overweight?

Q: What are three of the best benefits to exercise/eating clean?

The best benefits to leading a healthy lifestyle is the energy to always be ready to go! I love to fuel myself with good foods so I don’t feel sluggish during the day. One of my favorite fitness related quotes is “you wouldn’t put sugar in your gas tank- so why would you put it in your body?”

Q: What makes you unique, indispensable, a fitness artist?

I believe my level of competitiveness makes me unique- I don’t shy away from a challenge ever! I know I can be beat, but it makes me push harder. I’m indispensable because I have a vast array of fitness related knowledge and I’m skilled in other areas besides being a gym rat! I have worked as a ski instructor and a climbing instructor and I’m always excited to teach people new skills. I also have found a passion for teaching people to run, and run with proper form to reduce their chances of injury. Not too many trainers (at least that I have met) really take the time to teach the basics of how to run.

Q: As you know, my website is centered on life lessons. What are four life lessons you have learned from following your passion?

1. No excuses. Ever.

2. It’s okay to step out of your comfort zone- that’s where life happens. It’s also where greatness is achieved.

3. Set goals! Long term and short term. Reaching “mini” goals along the way is rewarding!

4. You can always do better- so keep pushing yourself.

Q: Anything else you want to add?

There are no excuses in the world of fitness. I believe in training without supplements- your results will last longer if you’re achieving it through eating well and exercising. Almost every injury can be prevented if using proper form- so if you’re new to weight lifting/ fitness please have a trainer show you form and technique.

You can “Like” Katie’s Facebook Page at http://www.Facebook.com/McBodyFitness or email her at mcbodyfitness@gmail.com

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Stay Positive & Fit in

Garth E. Beyer

High Existence: A Look At Exercise and Public Speaking

Garth Beyer

When you become fit, you become fit for public speaking. Due to the plethora of information regarding healthy lifestyles and their correlation with public speaking, along with my personal experience in Parkour and public speaking, I think its due time to make a post about it.

The Analogy You Expected

The way we exercise our bodies is the same for public speaking. In order to have a fit body, we continuously hit the gym, hit the floor, hit the mat, and hit the weights. We all know that we can’t just workout once or twice a week and expect to see positive results. In order to exceed average public speaking skills, we have to give multiple speeches each week, we have to practice our tone, volume, and linguistics. For both, the list of practice methods are endless. The same goes for the results; with consistent training you become a key-note speaker or a certified ass-kicking machine. Just as well, the tips for staying motivated and consistent work for both. Here are the two simplified versions.

  • Position, Plan, Execute – Evaluating yourself and where you stand on the line of success now, is how you can tell if you have made improvement later.Figuring out your position allows you to choose the techniques for the next step, planning. You have to plan out where you want to go, to get there. You cant expect to walk around aimlessly and find the “X” marks the spot treasure chest. By knowing where you are, you figure out where you want to be. In planning how to get there, you will get there, but you need to execute your plan. You have to follow the steps you set for yourself. You do so by following the next tip.
  • Dangling Carrots and Maximizing Achievement – Regardless of your end goal, you wont get there unless you break it down into dozens of small goals with small rewards. For example, if my goal was to cook a meal for the top 10 richest people on the planet and “I” had to make it without the help of anyone else (yes the world can be cruel at times, better to expect hardship and be grateful for any help than to expect help and face the hardship of it not being there), I would make one dish at a time. I know that trying to make everything at once would end up a disaster, so I would break it up into small goals, small meals. In doing so, I am maximizing my achievement by putting 100% of my effort into the one dish instead of 10% of my effort into each dish. The real catch to accomplishing small goals, is the reward. I know the visual is typically a person that wants to lose weight and they are running on a treadmill with a donut hanging in front of them, but I am a health nut so I dangle carrots. Positive rewards to go after. As a result of finishing each dish, I will indulge myself by being the first one to enjoy its delishes-ness. After the first dish, I am ready for the next!

 The Real Connection

Why is it that people fear public speaking more than physical pain?

It does not really matter, but if that is the case, I challenge you to experience positive physical pain: Workout. I guarantee that if you begin to exercise regularly, that your fear of public speaking will dissipate with each physical mark of progression you make. Not only that, but all your public speaking attributes will improve drastically. It is easier to understand the process by examining the connected benefits between working out and public speaking.

  • Exercise releases endorphins which make you happy “the good feel hormones”
  • Increases blood flow getting oxygen to your body, making you less fatigued and providing more mental and physical energy
  • By working out you become more energetic and alert of your surroundings which results in the ability to make audience connections and impromptu comments
  • “Whenever I am running, I am always thinking of things. When you’re running, the oxygen is like the ignition switch to great ideas” – Certified Personal Trainer

What The Sweat And Physical Exertion Boils Down To: A Stunned Audience

“Audiences like speakers who reflect good health and physical vitality. Research has shown that an audi­ence associates a speaker’s well-being with the soundness of his or her verbal messages. So watch your diet and exercise regularly.” – Toastmasters manual on Gestures.

Do you recall learning that your appearance both creates and leaves the biggest impact on your audience. Speakers forget that their first impression is not the first sentence out of their mouths, it is their appearance and the way they walk up to give their speech. Having a fit lifestyle will promote a confident entrance to public speaking. Apart from the words you share, you will enjoy sharing your image, you will enjoy sharing your hard work (exercise) and the results – “Dayumm you look good. A person looking as good as you must have something important to share.”

Fact: The same part of the brain that keeps people from losing weight also keeps people from great wealth! – The Millionaire Mind

“Studies have shown that a mere 7% of the messages that we communicate to others are transmitted by the words we use verbally. Instead, 55% of communication is based on physiology: the way a person stands, whether or not he smiles, degree of eye contact and so forth. The remaining 38% of communication is in tone of voice. What is said must be consistent with how it is said […] By subconsciously mirroring the physiology of others, a sensory message is sent to the brain, creating a similar emotional state. Therefore, health and fitness professionals who love their work, company, and clients and exhibit the body language that corresponds with these emotions positively affect the people around them. Because all sales decisions are ultimately made on emotion, having this effect on people can open the door to initiating the relationships that a successful career is built on.” – NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training

I would be doing this post an undeserving torture if I stopped here.

Richard Branson is the 4th richest citizen of the United Kingdom and 254th richest person in the world, according to the Forbes 2011 list of billionaires, so his words cannot be taken lightly. Especially when he was asked what the quickest way to success was… He answered with one word “Workout”.     Here are some other quotes by Richard Branson

“There’s an old saying: Look the part, and you’ll get the part. Well, more and more research is showing that people who are leaner and fitter are viewed as being more competent and successful than those who are overweight. And when people view you as competent, they are more likely to pay you what you deserve. Don’t believe me? Consider this: A New York University study found that people packing an extra 40 pounds make 20 percent less than their slimmer colleagues” – Eat This Not That, David Zinczenko

To end this post, I have to add another passion of mine that hopefully you have read my other posts on: Parkour

Ah, Sweet Ol’ Parkour

One of the greatest Parkour founders,Châu Belle, explains it is a “type of freedom” or “kind of expression”; that Parkour is “only a state of mind” rather than a set of actions, and that it is about overcoming and adapting to mental and emotional obstacles as well as physical barriers

You have to master your mind to master Parkour. And what do you need to master in order to master public speaking? That’s correct, your mind.

I would like to add that you not only have to master your mind, but your body – your movements. Just like public speaking, Parkour requires precise movements of the body in succession to mental stimulants. Can you see the correlation with gestures? It is as simple as that.

Just one more reason to try Parkour.

Stay Positive and High In Existence

Garth E. Beyer