Month: December 2010

Happiness is contagious?

I KNOW that the happiest, most fulfilled, most balanced people complain the least. They see things different. They are more open-minded. This is a Fact based on hundred of interviews and case studies over the years. These people handle every situation, whether tragic and insignificant, better than others

I was informed that along with one of my holiday greeting cards was a letter about this individual’s family experience over the past year.  I was told that “You have to read this letter; It is so obnoxious and brags about the children the whole letter.”

Since “Those People” who write and talk about how great their kids are drive me nuts, I almost trashed the letter away before reading it.  I am so glad that I did not!

This letter made me laugh out loud the entire time.  Rather than brag about the children, this letter poked fun at the way kids’ act, the way they think they run the world and…you get the picture.

My point is:  How did this person miss the satire????    

I am not a shrink, but I KNOW that the happiest, most fulfilled, most balanced people complain the least.  They see things different.  They are more open-minded.  This is a Fact based on hundred of interviews and case studies over the years.  These people handle every situation, whether tragic and insignificant, better than others.

I personally believe that the person who viewed this letter as obnoxious is insecure or sad, and wasn’t able to see the happiness and humor this letter was meant to provide.   

I cannot tell everyone how to be happier and live a better life, but I can tell you it begins with change.   And most change cannot happen alone.  Please always work on being happier.  Happiness is contagious!!

Youth Training – The Big Picture

The big picture is most “great young athletes” will break down by their senior year of college due to poor fitness training in thier early teen years. Even worse, this training will casue them pain throughout their lifes if they don’t learn how to fix it.

The big picture is most “great young athletes” will break down by their senior year of college due to poor fitness training in their early teen years.   Even worse, this training will cause them pain throughout their lives if they don’t learn how to fix it.   The majority of these problems in training and rehab can be solved by making them simpler and looking at building a great athlete, not a great “One Sport Star”.  Why are kids sprinting when they can’t stand on one foot?  Why are they squatting when their core is too weak to hold a plank.  

I thank god every day for Brian Grasso and the others who are starting this fitness revolution to stop the crazy sports training.  However, as long as parents continue to push and pay and dream that their kids are superstars, we will continue to break down our children one by one. 

Basic is not simplistic. Basic is not slow, in fact it is brilliant. Remember the body has an inherent wisdom in regard to movement, our job as coaches, trainers and parents is to tap into that wisdom and bring it out. We do that by giving the body movement problems to solve. Start with simple problems and move to more complex movements as mastery occurs. Movement should not be cognitive, it should be instinctive. We can move and think about individual muscles and how they must fire.

Jon Hinds, former trainer of the LA Lakers, recently opened up the Monkey Bar Gym because he realized the best way to build superior athletes in to make them perform Natural Movements.  Push, Pull, Jump, Crawl, Climb are all natural movements that force you to engage the core and build a  stable, brick house body.

The athlete must learn how his or her body works and moves to become “a machine”.  Each athlete is different and must train at their own pace.  The best way to do this is to allow them the joy of discovery. Never lose sight of the big picture.  You want to build an elite athlete?  Save your money and make your child climb trees, run through the woods and play as many sports as possible.

So, make sure you can stand before you run.  Make sure you can squat before you jump.  make sure you can crawl before you bench press.