Have you ever looked directly at something and not seen it?
It amazes how much we can be awake yet NOT be be awake.
Sure, you can be walking around and talking, but are you awake?
Did you notice what your mom was wearing the last time you saw her?
How did you best friend sound the last time you saw/heard them?
It amazes me that every-time I drive down a certain road that I can notice something that I never noticed before.
Has that ever happened to you?
Can you see the difference between being "Awake" and AWAKE?
Being awake means that all of your sense are focused on the sounds, sights, feelings, and smells of the immediate environment.
If you were to take a moment and notice what you smell, what do you smell?
If you were to take a moment and notice what you see, what would you notice?
Have you ever been looking at a friend or lover and all of a sudden, you notice something that you never noticed before?
How does you shirt feel on your body?
How does your ass FEEL in your seat?
How do you feet feel?
That is what being present is all about.
Do you realize that many of the accidents that people experience is because they aren't PRESENT. For a brief moment, they couldn't "See" the driver that suddenly pulled out and nailed them.
It's always the punch that you don't "see" that knocks your ass out COLD.
Can you think of all the places that you life can improve when you're PRESENT?
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
How to Decrease Muscle Soreness and Increase your Body's ability to heal...in 5 minutes or less!!!
How to Decrease Muscle sorness and Speed Up Muscle Recovery:
What happens to your body when you exercise?
A) Muscles break down
B) Muscles get tight
C) Muscle Glycogen Gets Depleted
Remember, your body is a living thing and although the effects may not be apparent immediately, just realize that changes are going on beneath the surface, and you will become aware of them in the days to follow. Your body will send you necessary signals.
There’s also something very important that you need to realize: every process that we know about – and aren’t yet aware of – is subject to various levels of intensity, usually experienced as a Low point, Peak Point, Bottom Point.
a) It’s like sprinting: when you first take off, you’re in the acceleration phase
b) You’ve hit your stride and you’re sprinting at your max speed
c) You reach the point where your legs can no longer produce the necessary force and you slow down.
It’s sort of like a line or any other shape that you want to use to represent it.
Now…
As you’re sore, you want to rate the level of soreness on a scale of 1 -10. This rating is important because when you go through the healing process, you’re going to want to refer to that rating. After you run the post exercise healing routine, then you’re going to want to rate your level of soreness again. Hopefully, it’s gone down quite a bit.
Pre exercise Preparation:
1) Stretch and Activate (Warm up) muscles that are going to be exercised BEFORE exercising:
Ie A) Bench Press - Stretch Pecs and Deltoids and warm-up the same (activate)
B) Barbell Squat: Warm Back muscles, warm up the muscles in the leg (adductors, abductors, quads, hamstrings, calves, Glutes)
2) Perform the “Cross Crawl”. The Cross Crawl is an exercise that’s designed to enhance the bodies’ ability to heal. Long story short, our bodies are used to performing activities in which our body parts cross the midline of the body. Researchers discovered that activities such as walking and swimming stimulate both the right and left hemispheres of the brain and speed up the healing process. We human beings are Contralateral, meaning that when you move your left leg, your right arm is supposed to naturally move out with with, and when you move your right leg, your right arm is supposed to naturally move out with it. However….
Notice that I said “supposed”. Sometimes, a person’s body will develop a condition that is called Homolateral. This means that when your left arm swings, your left leg swings out, and when your right leg swings out, your right arm swings out. This condition is not good.
When you are in a Homolateral condition, your immune systems’ ability to heal you is decreased by about 50 percent!!!!
Does this sound like a state that you want to be in you want to perform to your peak potential? I hope not!!!!
A simple way to switch your neurological organization from Homolateral to Contralateral is to perform the Cross Crawl. This is a perfect addition to any work out routine. The cross crawl also enhances your ability to think properly, as the movement ( and any movements that cause you to move contralaterally) stimulates both hemispheres of the brain.
To perform the Cross Crawl, you’re going to stand up and march in place. As you march in place, touch your left hand to your right knee, and your right hand to your left knee, and repeat for a minute or two. The longer you perform the exercise, the easier it becomes, to the point where you start to develop a rhythm as you’re doing it.
3) Stretch and Cool Down for about 10 minutes
4) Make sure you eat a High Carbohydrate meal with some Protein afterwards to speed up the rebuilding of muscle glycogen (fuel stores)
5) If possible, take a warm bath to increase circulation so that blood can flow more easily to the exercise muscles and speed up the repair.
Post Exercise Preparation:
***Rate your level of soreness on a scale of 1-10 before you begin and then rate it again after you’ve gone through the protocol below to notice any improvement your muscles have made***
1) Stretch Sore muscles
2) Activate Sore muscles (warm up)
3) Repeat until Muscles feel stronger and soreness is gone.
4) Make sure all of your meals contain protein to aid the rebuild of the torn down muscles. Eggs are a good source of protein if you're not allergic to them, as they have a high bioavailability, meaning that the protein in eggs is easily assimilated by your body.
5) Perform the “Cross Crawl” for a minute or two
The important thing to keep in mind is that the key to Recovery is to keep moving!!!
Keep the blood flowing!!! The soreness you experience may cause you to want to stay still or stay in bed, but DON'T!!!
Get up and get active. Of possible, go for a walk to get the blood circulating.
When you think about it, when you experience DOMS, it's similar to being injured, isn't it? You're muscles underwent trauma and as a result, are in the recovery phase.
There have been scientific studies that prove beyond doubt that inactivity leads to the weakening and loss of muscle tissue. In one such study, they imposed bed rest on healthy young men, and placed elderly men on exercise routine for 4 weeks. The results at the end of the four weeks?: The old men increased their muscle mass and endurance, while the young men experienced a 25-30 decrease in muscle strength. Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t it make you realize that activity is the key to longevity AND recovery?
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
What happens to your body when you exercise?
A) Muscles break down
B) Muscles get tight
C) Muscle Glycogen Gets Depleted
Remember, your body is a living thing and although the effects may not be apparent immediately, just realize that changes are going on beneath the surface, and you will become aware of them in the days to follow. Your body will send you necessary signals.
There’s also something very important that you need to realize: every process that we know about – and aren’t yet aware of – is subject to various levels of intensity, usually experienced as a Low point, Peak Point, Bottom Point.
a) It’s like sprinting: when you first take off, you’re in the acceleration phase
b) You’ve hit your stride and you’re sprinting at your max speed
c) You reach the point where your legs can no longer produce the necessary force and you slow down.
It’s sort of like a line or any other shape that you want to use to represent it.
Now…
As you’re sore, you want to rate the level of soreness on a scale of 1 -10. This rating is important because when you go through the healing process, you’re going to want to refer to that rating. After you run the post exercise healing routine, then you’re going to want to rate your level of soreness again. Hopefully, it’s gone down quite a bit.
Pre exercise Preparation:
1) Stretch and Activate (Warm up) muscles that are going to be exercised BEFORE exercising:
Ie A) Bench Press - Stretch Pecs and Deltoids and warm-up the same (activate)
B) Barbell Squat: Warm Back muscles, warm up the muscles in the leg (adductors, abductors, quads, hamstrings, calves, Glutes)
2) Perform the “Cross Crawl”. The Cross Crawl is an exercise that’s designed to enhance the bodies’ ability to heal. Long story short, our bodies are used to performing activities in which our body parts cross the midline of the body. Researchers discovered that activities such as walking and swimming stimulate both the right and left hemispheres of the brain and speed up the healing process. We human beings are Contralateral, meaning that when you move your left leg, your right arm is supposed to naturally move out with with, and when you move your right leg, your right arm is supposed to naturally move out with it. However….
Notice that I said “supposed”. Sometimes, a person’s body will develop a condition that is called Homolateral. This means that when your left arm swings, your left leg swings out, and when your right leg swings out, your right arm swings out. This condition is not good.
When you are in a Homolateral condition, your immune systems’ ability to heal you is decreased by about 50 percent!!!!
Does this sound like a state that you want to be in you want to perform to your peak potential? I hope not!!!!
A simple way to switch your neurological organization from Homolateral to Contralateral is to perform the Cross Crawl. This is a perfect addition to any work out routine. The cross crawl also enhances your ability to think properly, as the movement ( and any movements that cause you to move contralaterally) stimulates both hemispheres of the brain.
To perform the Cross Crawl, you’re going to stand up and march in place. As you march in place, touch your left hand to your right knee, and your right hand to your left knee, and repeat for a minute or two. The longer you perform the exercise, the easier it becomes, to the point where you start to develop a rhythm as you’re doing it.
3) Stretch and Cool Down for about 10 minutes
4) Make sure you eat a High Carbohydrate meal with some Protein afterwards to speed up the rebuilding of muscle glycogen (fuel stores)
5) If possible, take a warm bath to increase circulation so that blood can flow more easily to the exercise muscles and speed up the repair.
Post Exercise Preparation:
***Rate your level of soreness on a scale of 1-10 before you begin and then rate it again after you’ve gone through the protocol below to notice any improvement your muscles have made***
1) Stretch Sore muscles
2) Activate Sore muscles (warm up)
3) Repeat until Muscles feel stronger and soreness is gone.
4) Make sure all of your meals contain protein to aid the rebuild of the torn down muscles. Eggs are a good source of protein if you're not allergic to them, as they have a high bioavailability, meaning that the protein in eggs is easily assimilated by your body.
5) Perform the “Cross Crawl” for a minute or two
The important thing to keep in mind is that the key to Recovery is to keep moving!!!
Keep the blood flowing!!! The soreness you experience may cause you to want to stay still or stay in bed, but DON'T!!!
Get up and get active. Of possible, go for a walk to get the blood circulating.
When you think about it, when you experience DOMS, it's similar to being injured, isn't it? You're muscles underwent trauma and as a result, are in the recovery phase.
There have been scientific studies that prove beyond doubt that inactivity leads to the weakening and loss of muscle tissue. In one such study, they imposed bed rest on healthy young men, and placed elderly men on exercise routine for 4 weeks. The results at the end of the four weeks?: The old men increased their muscle mass and endurance, while the young men experienced a 25-30 decrease in muscle strength. Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t it make you realize that activity is the key to longevity AND recovery?
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
Friday, September 3, 2010
Sweet, sweet blog
I just got back in from dropping off my niece. Her son, my great nephew ( I just call him my nephew, since I'm not big on labels and titles) had a awesome birthday today. We mushed his face in the cake and he loved it. He wanted us to do it again, but it's only funny the first time. We'll by one of those Little Debbie cakes and catch him by surprise tomorrow...
Lots of stuff running through my mind right now:
This blog for instance... I know that when i'm dead and gone, physically, this blog will still be here, a lasting record that was proof that I was here, proof that I lived....
Also thinking about being proactive and reactive. Thinking about which one I am and being glad that I know which one I am....
I'm also realizing what A rut truly is... I'm realizing how a rut is sorta like "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray( If you haven't seen this movie, then you absolutely MUST make some time and watch this movie... and I promise you that it will open your eyes and really look at your own life).... I'm starting to realize that although some aspects of the movie aren't possible, there are some parts that ring shockingly true to life... for me at least right now....
Long story short, Bill discovers that he has to relive the same day over and over again. At first, he's loving it... he's doing all the things that A person who knows exactly what's going to happen next would do... he realizes that he can't die because the day starts over repeatedly....
This "happening" starts to lose it's novelty and he starts to hate it... he's stuck in the mother of all ruts. He realizes that he absolutely must make some changes if he wants his life to continue on it's track. He realizes that until he starts to use his knowledge of the things that are going to happen, he'll be stuck in this time loop forever....
I gotta admit that I'm feeling a little bit like Bill right now, but not in the good way....
I guess the first step to getting out of a rut is to realize that you're in a rut, don't you think?
I guess the next question to ask is " What kind of situation and circumstances do I want to be in and what can I do right now to create those circumstances?"
Amir
Lots of stuff running through my mind right now:
This blog for instance... I know that when i'm dead and gone, physically, this blog will still be here, a lasting record that was proof that I was here, proof that I lived....
Also thinking about being proactive and reactive. Thinking about which one I am and being glad that I know which one I am....
I'm also realizing what A rut truly is... I'm realizing how a rut is sorta like "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray( If you haven't seen this movie, then you absolutely MUST make some time and watch this movie... and I promise you that it will open your eyes and really look at your own life).... I'm starting to realize that although some aspects of the movie aren't possible, there are some parts that ring shockingly true to life... for me at least right now....
Long story short, Bill discovers that he has to relive the same day over and over again. At first, he's loving it... he's doing all the things that A person who knows exactly what's going to happen next would do... he realizes that he can't die because the day starts over repeatedly....
This "happening" starts to lose it's novelty and he starts to hate it... he's stuck in the mother of all ruts. He realizes that he absolutely must make some changes if he wants his life to continue on it's track. He realizes that until he starts to use his knowledge of the things that are going to happen, he'll be stuck in this time loop forever....
I gotta admit that I'm feeling a little bit like Bill right now, but not in the good way....
I guess the first step to getting out of a rut is to realize that you're in a rut, don't you think?
I guess the next question to ask is " What kind of situation and circumstances do I want to be in and what can I do right now to create those circumstances?"
Amir
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Hello Denmark
Sweet sweet Denmark.... I was just checking out some of my blog statistics and I noticed that a majority of my page views are from... Denmark!!!! All 6 of them!!!!
If you're in the house Denmark, let me hear make some NOIIIIISSSSSSEEEEE!!!!
Denmark is one of the places that i'm going to visit when money and time become available. If you're reading this and your currently reside in Denmark, then let me know what types of things I should do and What places I can visit.
To honor you, sweet Denmark, i'm gonna make a rap for you!!! I'm gonna do my research and I'm gonna create a video, to thank all 6 of your countrymen(and women) that visited my page. However, I do have one concern....
I'm afraid that those 6 people forgot to leave comments on what they liked and didn't liked... So i can't put your names into my little masterpiece, but that's okay. I'll just call you the "Denmark 6". That sounds cool, right? Like "ocean's 12"... or Baker's Dozen...
What the weather like in Denmark? Most importantly, how much do you love Black Men? These things are important to me, because when i come there, I'm going to need at least 6 Beautiful Denmark women to accompany through town and keep my body safe....
Thank you and God Blesske...
Amir
PS. To the one person from Taiwan that checked this out, god bless you:)
If you're in the house Denmark, let me hear make some NOIIIIISSSSSSEEEEE!!!!
Denmark is one of the places that i'm going to visit when money and time become available. If you're reading this and your currently reside in Denmark, then let me know what types of things I should do and What places I can visit.
To honor you, sweet Denmark, i'm gonna make a rap for you!!! I'm gonna do my research and I'm gonna create a video, to thank all 6 of your countrymen(and women) that visited my page. However, I do have one concern....
I'm afraid that those 6 people forgot to leave comments on what they liked and didn't liked... So i can't put your names into my little masterpiece, but that's okay. I'll just call you the "Denmark 6". That sounds cool, right? Like "ocean's 12"... or Baker's Dozen...
What the weather like in Denmark? Most importantly, how much do you love Black Men? These things are important to me, because when i come there, I'm going to need at least 6 Beautiful Denmark women to accompany through town and keep my body safe....
Thank you and God Blesske...
Amir
PS. To the one person from Taiwan that checked this out, god bless you:)
The coolest Video I've seen in years
I LOVE this video. The girl who stars in it is kinda a dorky, but she's extremely cute. There's a very powerful message locked deep within, and you'll have to look closely to determine... I rhymed!!!!
Long Story short: You absolutely MUST watch this video right now and enjoy it!!!
Click the link below to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRuJhDYJMJk
I'm actually watching this video right now!!! That's how much I love it.
The band/group/singer is Shinichi Osawa, and they are ripping it up right now.
After you watch the entire video, then make a judgment. Just sit back and relax.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
Long Story short: You absolutely MUST watch this video right now and enjoy it!!!
Click the link below to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRuJhDYJMJk
I'm actually watching this video right now!!! That's how much I love it.
The band/group/singer is Shinichi Osawa, and they are ripping it up right now.
After you watch the entire video, then make a judgment. Just sit back and relax.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
My New Widget!!!
The title clearly says it all. This is my new widget. I have no idea why I have it, but it looked cool, so i must have it.... you know how that goes.
Anyway....
Sincerely,
Amir
Taking Stalking to A whole new level... the future level....
So I was just checking out blogs to follow (I didn't know that was the termed used until just now...) and I notice something very... stalkerish.
You're given the option to follow a specific blog anonymously... as in the person whose blog you’re following isn't aware that you're following them. Where have we heard that before...*cough* Law and Order...*coughs* special victims unit.
I guess I’m just confused as to why a person would feel the need to follow some one that they like... anonymously. Why just not just LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE FOLLOWING THEM, so that they can reject you, instead of you hanging on to the hope that they will accept you when they're ready...
I think all stalking comes down to avoiding rejection. If I like a girl, I go up and talk to her. If she's not interested, then she's just not interested no matter how many drinks I buy her....
But with a stalker, I think that having that fantasy and having that closeness ( read: standing over them while they sleep) is enough to keep them happy. Like I always say, "the best stalker is the one that you never know is there until you end up marrying them, and then years later, they tell you that they were stalking you... and that you actually didn't accidentally run over your beautiful golden retriever... they killed it and put it under your rear tire so that when you came out and cried your eyes out, they could comfort you... from behind that huge ass oak tree...."
That's the thing: you never know if you're being stalked right now... as you're sitting there reading these words, there could be someone watching you right now, they know your every move.... they even know what you're thinking right now... they know what you're gonna do today... they know what you're gonna do 10 years from now....
God, silly!!!
Sincerely,
Amir
You're given the option to follow a specific blog anonymously... as in the person whose blog you’re following isn't aware that you're following them. Where have we heard that before...*cough* Law and Order...*coughs* special victims unit.
I guess I’m just confused as to why a person would feel the need to follow some one that they like... anonymously. Why just not just LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE FOLLOWING THEM, so that they can reject you, instead of you hanging on to the hope that they will accept you when they're ready...
I think all stalking comes down to avoiding rejection. If I like a girl, I go up and talk to her. If she's not interested, then she's just not interested no matter how many drinks I buy her....
But with a stalker, I think that having that fantasy and having that closeness ( read: standing over them while they sleep) is enough to keep them happy. Like I always say, "the best stalker is the one that you never know is there until you end up marrying them, and then years later, they tell you that they were stalking you... and that you actually didn't accidentally run over your beautiful golden retriever... they killed it and put it under your rear tire so that when you came out and cried your eyes out, they could comfort you... from behind that huge ass oak tree...."
That's the thing: you never know if you're being stalked right now... as you're sitting there reading these words, there could be someone watching you right now, they know your every move.... they even know what you're thinking right now... they know what you're gonna do today... they know what you're gonna do 10 years from now....
God, silly!!!
Sincerely,
Amir
Very weird night....
Last night was a extremely weird night, in terms of my dreaming.
I swear that I must have dreamed the entire 8 hours I was asleep. It felt as though i was living a totally separate life while my eyes were closed. If you ever remember our dreams, then you remember how confusing a dream can be and for some mysterious reason, I only seem to remember that last few seconds up to the point where i open my eyes. Last night was different however..
I woke up three times last night, and each wake up session was caused by something that I was seeing in my dreams. Very weird.
Have you ever had a dream that was so disturbing - or inspiring - that even though you had it many years ago, you can still remember it clearly to this day? I've had several such dreams, and I feel like they serve as messages, something that your subconscious mind knows, but that you don't realize yet... something that will be revealed later on in our life.... if we live long enough to discover the meaning of it.
I think is something very important to factor into a very unexplainable dream. The longer we live, the more we
This is some really exciting stuff, to me at least.... I can clearly remember different portions of the dream. It felt as though I was living through and entire day. I remember making plans to do things. I remember taking a shower and realizing that my bathroom window was open. I remember being in my bedroom cleaning up load of pennies and dimes and quarters from underneath my bed. I've read instances of people who spent years experiencing a dream, where they accomplished major things and even got married and died, and then they woke up.
Can you imagine yourself winning the noble peace prize, having lunch with Donald trump and oprah, and then waking up, discovering that it was just a dream?
Experts say that images in dreams are symbols and rarely literal. I'm not sure what the pennies, dimes and quarters mean. I'm not sure what the showering thing mean ( is someone somewhere trying to tell me that i'm dirty?)
I wonder where the whole deja vu thing comes into play in terms of dreams? Maybe when we experience deja vu, what's really happening is that we are remembering some future event( now, the present) that we dreamt about. When you stop and think about it, deja vu is like a "feeling", where I just KNOW that I've already done this before. I remember having that feeling when I first attended Nazareth college in 1999. I remember it very clearly: I was sitting down in my dormroom and something told me to jump up on the top bunk(my roommate at the time hadn't moved in yet, so I had the place to myself), and then suddenly, it hit me like a snowball:
"I've been here before!!!" It was very weird and disorienting.
As I said above, time will everything and put all those mysteries that you have into proper perspective. You'll look back on those "Weird" dreams and then you'll say to yourself:
"Ohh, so that's what that meant!!!!"
Good old time....
Sincerely,
Amir
I swear that I must have dreamed the entire 8 hours I was asleep. It felt as though i was living a totally separate life while my eyes were closed. If you ever remember our dreams, then you remember how confusing a dream can be and for some mysterious reason, I only seem to remember that last few seconds up to the point where i open my eyes. Last night was different however..
I woke up three times last night, and each wake up session was caused by something that I was seeing in my dreams. Very weird.
Have you ever had a dream that was so disturbing - or inspiring - that even though you had it many years ago, you can still remember it clearly to this day? I've had several such dreams, and I feel like they serve as messages, something that your subconscious mind knows, but that you don't realize yet... something that will be revealed later on in our life.... if we live long enough to discover the meaning of it.
I think is something very important to factor into a very unexplainable dream. The longer we live, the more we
This is some really exciting stuff, to me at least.... I can clearly remember different portions of the dream. It felt as though I was living through and entire day. I remember making plans to do things. I remember taking a shower and realizing that my bathroom window was open. I remember being in my bedroom cleaning up load of pennies and dimes and quarters from underneath my bed. I've read instances of people who spent years experiencing a dream, where they accomplished major things and even got married and died, and then they woke up.
Can you imagine yourself winning the noble peace prize, having lunch with Donald trump and oprah, and then waking up, discovering that it was just a dream?
Experts say that images in dreams are symbols and rarely literal. I'm not sure what the pennies, dimes and quarters mean. I'm not sure what the showering thing mean ( is someone somewhere trying to tell me that i'm dirty?)
I wonder where the whole deja vu thing comes into play in terms of dreams? Maybe when we experience deja vu, what's really happening is that we are remembering some future event( now, the present) that we dreamt about. When you stop and think about it, deja vu is like a "feeling", where I just KNOW that I've already done this before. I remember having that feeling when I first attended Nazareth college in 1999. I remember it very clearly: I was sitting down in my dormroom and something told me to jump up on the top bunk(my roommate at the time hadn't moved in yet, so I had the place to myself), and then suddenly, it hit me like a snowball:
"I've been here before!!!" It was very weird and disorienting.
As I said above, time will everything and put all those mysteries that you have into proper perspective. You'll look back on those "Weird" dreams and then you'll say to yourself:
"Ohh, so that's what that meant!!!!"
Good old time....
Sincerely,
Amir
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Feeling hot hot hot....
It is as hot as satan's man thong after a bowl of ghost peppers here...
It's 89 degrees right now and forecasters are predicting it to be 77 degrees at night... that's after the sun goes down. It's terrible for some, and awesome for some.
I'm one of those guys that loves the cold weather. I have a really strong... dislike for extremely warm weather. It's like my kryptonite; prolonged exposure to the rays of a yellow sun are devastating for me; of course, i'd trade my weakness for superman's weaknesses any day....
I can understand that children are able to enjoy the warm weather, since they sweat very little and have higher pulse rates. Plus, they're kids. But when I adults being able to lie down all day in the sun and do normal things in 90+ degree weather, I have to wonder about something:
What specific drugs are they using?
Where can I get them quickly?
Every summer causes me to realize more and more that I'm definitely a winter person. I absolutely love cool, cold weather conditions. I especially love it when it's all blizzard-y outside. There's some thing about the snow that can turn any neighborhood into something different...something more magical. It's as if the snow covers up all the details about the environment, and you start to imagine what the place would look like without all the snow.... Plus it's just cool to be able to jump off the garage roof and land safely in the huge pile of fluffy snow below... or maybe that's just me...
Anyways, in this type of weather, we tend to sweat alot. I've noticed something very interesting in regards to the perception of exertion while working out in extremely hot weather: many people feel that they actually burn more calories while working out in the blistering hot sun.
I think what's really happening is that the increased body temperature caused by the sun increases the perception of exertion during exercise: in other words, you feel like you're working harder because the sun is riding your back like a mule riding a little kitty kat...
If a person feels like they are doing more work than they really, and they are exercising, then isn't that a good thing? I think so, don't you?
Anyway, if you're one of those people that loves to play around when the sun is literally in your lap, then by all means, go for it. Just remember to drink plenty of water and apply sunscreen liberally.... that applies to people of all skin tones.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
It's 89 degrees right now and forecasters are predicting it to be 77 degrees at night... that's after the sun goes down. It's terrible for some, and awesome for some.
I'm one of those guys that loves the cold weather. I have a really strong... dislike for extremely warm weather. It's like my kryptonite; prolonged exposure to the rays of a yellow sun are devastating for me; of course, i'd trade my weakness for superman's weaknesses any day....
I can understand that children are able to enjoy the warm weather, since they sweat very little and have higher pulse rates. Plus, they're kids. But when I adults being able to lie down all day in the sun and do normal things in 90+ degree weather, I have to wonder about something:
What specific drugs are they using?
Where can I get them quickly?
Every summer causes me to realize more and more that I'm definitely a winter person. I absolutely love cool, cold weather conditions. I especially love it when it's all blizzard-y outside. There's some thing about the snow that can turn any neighborhood into something different...something more magical. It's as if the snow covers up all the details about the environment, and you start to imagine what the place would look like without all the snow.... Plus it's just cool to be able to jump off the garage roof and land safely in the huge pile of fluffy snow below... or maybe that's just me...
Anyways, in this type of weather, we tend to sweat alot. I've noticed something very interesting in regards to the perception of exertion while working out in extremely hot weather: many people feel that they actually burn more calories while working out in the blistering hot sun.
I think what's really happening is that the increased body temperature caused by the sun increases the perception of exertion during exercise: in other words, you feel like you're working harder because the sun is riding your back like a mule riding a little kitty kat...
If a person feels like they are doing more work than they really, and they are exercising, then isn't that a good thing? I think so, don't you?
Anyway, if you're one of those people that loves to play around when the sun is literally in your lap, then by all means, go for it. Just remember to drink plenty of water and apply sunscreen liberally.... that applies to people of all skin tones.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
My recent trip To Montego Bay
I'm so mad because I wasn't smart enough to bring a camera and take pictures... the only thing I have to prove that I actually took the trip is the stamp in my passport:(
For anyone that hasn't been to Montego Bay yet, or Jamaica for that matter, I feel absolutely confident in saying that when you decide to go down there and spend a week or two, it's going to be one of those things that you look back on in your life and be glad that you actually did it.
The one thing that stands out in my mind clearly is how amazingly beautiful the water is. Talk about blue... It's a vast difference from some of the beaches where i come from... Vast difference. The other awesome thing about the water is the fact that it was so warm. My nephew and I literally stayed in the water for hours and just marveled at the beauty of the surroundings. We spent alot of time hanging out at Doctor's Cave. This is a beach that's more tourist oriented, but it is amazing and you'll definitely want to spend some time there. They have some really good menu options as well. I thought the chicken fingers were amazing. They were very Juicy and spicy.
We spent much of our time hanging out at the local tourist spots, for the simple fact that even though we're Jamaican, we weren't born there and thus we weren't familiar with the area. We just reasoned that it's best to stick with what we did know. You can't go wrong with brilliant sunshine, beautiful water and amazing views of the mountains, and the simple fact that you can walk around with a beer in your hands without being harassed by the cops!!!
This one little aspect of the trip really blew my mind wide open. If you're from the states, then you know that its illegal to walk around with a alcoholic beverage that's open. In Montego Bay, walking around with Beer is as natural as seeing a kid walk around with a lopsided ice cream cone.
Another ting that really stood out to me was the fact that I felt like I really was in another world. Sure, the economy is still in development, and the place does need lots of help from more developed nations like the U.S.A., but for the most part, the people are very friendly and gracious.
Oh yeah.... WE RODE JETSKIS!!!!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I can't fully describe the feeling of riding a jetski at 90 miles an hour, skipping over the water like a rock, with the wind pushing my cheeks back like a bulldog.... If you go to Jamaica, you absolutely have to RIDE THE JETSKIS!!!! Plan to ride them. It's 50 bucks for a half an hour, and I felt like it was worth every single penny. The really awesome thing is that the JetSki that I was originally riding had some sort of mechanical problem, which had absolutely nothing to do with me even though I had never rode one before that moment.... So the guy who gives you the quickie lesson on JetSki riding had to give me one of the jetskis that the pros ride, so long story short, I was hallin' ass on this jetski, maxing it out at 90 miles per hour. If I had the money, I would have rode that damn jetski all day for the entire week.
Another thing you absolutely HAVE TO DO is eat lots and lots of beef patties. The ones that I get in the state are NOTHING compared to the fresh beef patties I tasted while I down there. You have to realize that many of the beef patties that we eat in the states are made in Jamaica and shipped here. Jamaica is the source. We ate beef patties from TASTEE'S, which is a franchise down there. They serve Other things, but beef patties are the centerpiece around which the franchise is built. There is nothing so sweet as to eat a beef patty that was freshly made AND that is just coming out of the oven. Okay, there are some things that are better, but few things can compare, as far as I'm concerned. Make sure you visit Tastees at least 10 time before you leave the place.
We wanted to Visit Rick's Cafe in Negril, but we got there too late and the place was rained out. We never gt a chance to go back. I was sort of relieved in a way, because my Nephew kept trying to convince me to jump off the friggin cliff. I don't have a problem with jumping off of anything; the only objection that i have is that I CAN'T FRIGGIN SWIM!!! Not yet at least, but it's something I'm working little by little, so that next year, I can easily Jump from the tree that on the edge of the cliff repeatedly.
Oh yeah, the driving. Word of caution to the wise: If you've never driven in jamaica, DON'T. To me, every time we had to travel somewhere by car, I felt as though we were on a friggin NASCAR track, and the people around us were trying to get into first place or something. It was scary. In Montego Bay, driving is a skill that you must develop before attempt to go out on the road.
As for the night life, there are tons of awesome places to check out. The amazing thing is that in Montego Bay the beaches stay open 24 hours a day. It's just that after 6pm or 7pm, the life guards go home, and if you can't swim, it's best not to venture out too far into the water, or you might wash up back on American shores.... 3 years later and bloated to the point where a person can pop you with a pin... if you get my point.
All in all, the trip was amazing and I;m grateful for the fact that I got to stay with my brother in law and his sister in the beautiful home in Montego Bay. Big shout out to sandy for her amazing cooking and amazing hospitality. She's the best host anyone body could ever ask for.
Big shout out to Mike for taking us everywhere we wanted to go. He took us out and showed where to go... and where not to go. With him to drive us around, we saved lots of money and had even more fun.
The only thing that I regret is not being able to visit Ochos Rios. I hear that the place is GORGEOUS and I can't wait to hang out there next year.
My words just don't do the place justice. I learned a couple of things from my time there:
1) Always have some sort of camera on hand
2) Do our homework so that you are aware of the prices of the things that you want to do
3) Don't spend more money than you have to. Get all the essentials while you in the states, because some of the tourist shops will charge you and arm and both your legs. After all, they are just trying to make money.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
For anyone that hasn't been to Montego Bay yet, or Jamaica for that matter, I feel absolutely confident in saying that when you decide to go down there and spend a week or two, it's going to be one of those things that you look back on in your life and be glad that you actually did it.
The one thing that stands out in my mind clearly is how amazingly beautiful the water is. Talk about blue... It's a vast difference from some of the beaches where i come from... Vast difference. The other awesome thing about the water is the fact that it was so warm. My nephew and I literally stayed in the water for hours and just marveled at the beauty of the surroundings. We spent alot of time hanging out at Doctor's Cave. This is a beach that's more tourist oriented, but it is amazing and you'll definitely want to spend some time there. They have some really good menu options as well. I thought the chicken fingers were amazing. They were very Juicy and spicy.
We spent much of our time hanging out at the local tourist spots, for the simple fact that even though we're Jamaican, we weren't born there and thus we weren't familiar with the area. We just reasoned that it's best to stick with what we did know. You can't go wrong with brilliant sunshine, beautiful water and amazing views of the mountains, and the simple fact that you can walk around with a beer in your hands without being harassed by the cops!!!
This one little aspect of the trip really blew my mind wide open. If you're from the states, then you know that its illegal to walk around with a alcoholic beverage that's open. In Montego Bay, walking around with Beer is as natural as seeing a kid walk around with a lopsided ice cream cone.
Another ting that really stood out to me was the fact that I felt like I really was in another world. Sure, the economy is still in development, and the place does need lots of help from more developed nations like the U.S.A., but for the most part, the people are very friendly and gracious.
Oh yeah.... WE RODE JETSKIS!!!!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I can't fully describe the feeling of riding a jetski at 90 miles an hour, skipping over the water like a rock, with the wind pushing my cheeks back like a bulldog.... If you go to Jamaica, you absolutely have to RIDE THE JETSKIS!!!! Plan to ride them. It's 50 bucks for a half an hour, and I felt like it was worth every single penny. The really awesome thing is that the JetSki that I was originally riding had some sort of mechanical problem, which had absolutely nothing to do with me even though I had never rode one before that moment.... So the guy who gives you the quickie lesson on JetSki riding had to give me one of the jetskis that the pros ride, so long story short, I was hallin' ass on this jetski, maxing it out at 90 miles per hour. If I had the money, I would have rode that damn jetski all day for the entire week.
Another thing you absolutely HAVE TO DO is eat lots and lots of beef patties. The ones that I get in the state are NOTHING compared to the fresh beef patties I tasted while I down there. You have to realize that many of the beef patties that we eat in the states are made in Jamaica and shipped here. Jamaica is the source. We ate beef patties from TASTEE'S, which is a franchise down there. They serve Other things, but beef patties are the centerpiece around which the franchise is built. There is nothing so sweet as to eat a beef patty that was freshly made AND that is just coming out of the oven. Okay, there are some things that are better, but few things can compare, as far as I'm concerned. Make sure you visit Tastees at least 10 time before you leave the place.
We wanted to Visit Rick's Cafe in Negril, but we got there too late and the place was rained out. We never gt a chance to go back. I was sort of relieved in a way, because my Nephew kept trying to convince me to jump off the friggin cliff. I don't have a problem with jumping off of anything; the only objection that i have is that I CAN'T FRIGGIN SWIM!!! Not yet at least, but it's something I'm working little by little, so that next year, I can easily Jump from the tree that on the edge of the cliff repeatedly.
Oh yeah, the driving. Word of caution to the wise: If you've never driven in jamaica, DON'T. To me, every time we had to travel somewhere by car, I felt as though we were on a friggin NASCAR track, and the people around us were trying to get into first place or something. It was scary. In Montego Bay, driving is a skill that you must develop before attempt to go out on the road.
As for the night life, there are tons of awesome places to check out. The amazing thing is that in Montego Bay the beaches stay open 24 hours a day. It's just that after 6pm or 7pm, the life guards go home, and if you can't swim, it's best not to venture out too far into the water, or you might wash up back on American shores.... 3 years later and bloated to the point where a person can pop you with a pin... if you get my point.
All in all, the trip was amazing and I;m grateful for the fact that I got to stay with my brother in law and his sister in the beautiful home in Montego Bay. Big shout out to sandy for her amazing cooking and amazing hospitality. She's the best host anyone body could ever ask for.
Big shout out to Mike for taking us everywhere we wanted to go. He took us out and showed where to go... and where not to go. With him to drive us around, we saved lots of money and had even more fun.
The only thing that I regret is not being able to visit Ochos Rios. I hear that the place is GORGEOUS and I can't wait to hang out there next year.
My words just don't do the place justice. I learned a couple of things from my time there:
1) Always have some sort of camera on hand
2) Do our homework so that you are aware of the prices of the things that you want to do
3) Don't spend more money than you have to. Get all the essentials while you in the states, because some of the tourist shops will charge you and arm and both your legs. After all, they are just trying to make money.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
Build your ideal Body in your mind now....
What type of arms do you want?
How do you want your Back to look?
How do you want you triceps to look?
What about your quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes?
If you cold build your perfect body how would it look? Most importantly, imagine a time in the future, maybe six months from, and you've created your perfect body. Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing your perfect stomach. How does your stomach look?
Imagine that your completely naked and your standing in front of a full length mirror. You can see your entire body. Are you happy with what you're looking at now?
Now that you have a target, it's time to do your research and discover the best way to achieve the results that you want to experience. How long do you think it'll take you to achieve that body that you want?
More importantly, are you willing to do everything in your power to SAFELY create your perfect body? This is very important. There are a million ways to pick up a broken egg; you can use a fork; you can use a broom; you can use that little suction device on the back of your vacuum cleaner; the important question is:
Which one is going to get the job done effectively?
Health, as with anything is a matter of Give and take. How much time and energy are you willing to GIVE to achieve your goal?
How do you want your Back to look?
How do you want you triceps to look?
What about your quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes?
If you cold build your perfect body how would it look? Most importantly, imagine a time in the future, maybe six months from, and you've created your perfect body. Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing your perfect stomach. How does your stomach look?
Imagine that your completely naked and your standing in front of a full length mirror. You can see your entire body. Are you happy with what you're looking at now?
Now that you have a target, it's time to do your research and discover the best way to achieve the results that you want to experience. How long do you think it'll take you to achieve that body that you want?
More importantly, are you willing to do everything in your power to SAFELY create your perfect body? This is very important. There are a million ways to pick up a broken egg; you can use a fork; you can use a broom; you can use that little suction device on the back of your vacuum cleaner; the important question is:
Which one is going to get the job done effectively?
Health, as with anything is a matter of Give and take. How much time and energy are you willing to GIVE to achieve your goal?
Have you sat down and done this yet?
If you haven't already sat down with pen and paper, and made a list of all the places on the beautiful big blue bubble that you want to visit, then what the hell are you waiting for?
Do it right now. Just pretend that you have all the money and time you'll ever need. Just write out every single place that comes into your mind. Relax and let your mind go nuts.
Write out in detail what types of things you want to do when you visit these palces. After all, you don't want to just visit Montego Bay, see the airport and then get right back on the airplane and head back home, do you? Of course not. So write out all the things that you want to be doing.
Really do your homework on the places that you want to visit and ultimately, experience.
To get even more specific, write out how long you want to spend in each place. Again, i'm sure you'd love to spend an entire week in the south of France instead of just seeing it on a post card, don't you?
Finally, when you've written out where you want to go and how long you want to spend there and what you want to be doing, then put a deadline next to each travel destination. When do you want to travel to Destination xxx? This year? Next July?
If at all possible, cut out pictures from magazines and post them up some place where you can see them, so that you give your subconscious mind a target to focus on, and also to build up your desire to experience that place. It's sorta like holding a piece of steak in front of a starving dog. Can you guess which one of you is the starving dog...
The Crucial Part of this process is to do your homework on your desired destinations. You have to give your subconscious mind a target, something to focus on. You see, your subconscious mind is always working in the background, silently. Some people refer to it as GENIE that gives you everything you want... or don't want.
We each have inside of us something that has been termed a "Creative Mechanism". In simple terms, the subconscious mind has a way of making things happen, either things that we do want, or things that we don't want.
For instance, if you keep telling yourself, "I'm not gonna screw up, I'm not gonna screw up...", chances are that you will screw up. Why? Because your focus was on not screwing up.
Now, if you switch your thinking to " i'll do fine, i'll do good, i'll be calm and cool.." then that what Creative Mechanism will make happen.
Here's the proper procedure for focusing on what you do want:
1) Notice the situation as it is (ie I have a headache)
2) State what you don't want (i don't want to have a headache)
3) State what you do want ( I want to feel fine and feel relaxed and I want to feel good)
If you take this little procedure and apply it to the process of traveling anywhere you want to go, then it starts to look like this.
1) I'm stuck in xxx every winter
2) I don't want to be stuck in xxx this winter
3) I want to be surfing in Hawaii/swimming with the dolphins this winter...
Try his process out with the things and situations in your life and let me know how good it works for you.
Sincerely,
Amir
Do it right now. Just pretend that you have all the money and time you'll ever need. Just write out every single place that comes into your mind. Relax and let your mind go nuts.
Write out in detail what types of things you want to do when you visit these palces. After all, you don't want to just visit Montego Bay, see the airport and then get right back on the airplane and head back home, do you? Of course not. So write out all the things that you want to be doing.
Really do your homework on the places that you want to visit and ultimately, experience.
To get even more specific, write out how long you want to spend in each place. Again, i'm sure you'd love to spend an entire week in the south of France instead of just seeing it on a post card, don't you?
Finally, when you've written out where you want to go and how long you want to spend there and what you want to be doing, then put a deadline next to each travel destination. When do you want to travel to Destination xxx? This year? Next July?
If at all possible, cut out pictures from magazines and post them up some place where you can see them, so that you give your subconscious mind a target to focus on, and also to build up your desire to experience that place. It's sorta like holding a piece of steak in front of a starving dog. Can you guess which one of you is the starving dog...
The Crucial Part of this process is to do your homework on your desired destinations. You have to give your subconscious mind a target, something to focus on. You see, your subconscious mind is always working in the background, silently. Some people refer to it as GENIE that gives you everything you want... or don't want.
We each have inside of us something that has been termed a "Creative Mechanism". In simple terms, the subconscious mind has a way of making things happen, either things that we do want, or things that we don't want.
For instance, if you keep telling yourself, "I'm not gonna screw up, I'm not gonna screw up...", chances are that you will screw up. Why? Because your focus was on not screwing up.
Now, if you switch your thinking to " i'll do fine, i'll do good, i'll be calm and cool.." then that what Creative Mechanism will make happen.
Here's the proper procedure for focusing on what you do want:
1) Notice the situation as it is (ie I have a headache)
2) State what you don't want (i don't want to have a headache)
3) State what you do want ( I want to feel fine and feel relaxed and I want to feel good)
If you take this little procedure and apply it to the process of traveling anywhere you want to go, then it starts to look like this.
1) I'm stuck in xxx every winter
2) I don't want to be stuck in xxx this winter
3) I want to be surfing in Hawaii/swimming with the dolphins this winter...
Try his process out with the things and situations in your life and let me know how good it works for you.
Sincerely,
Amir
Success Secrets For Personal Trainers
Success Secrets for Personal Trainers:
One habit that you want to develop is the ability to monitor your clients’ reactions to exercise with your vision. You want to relax your vision and use your peripheral vision to get a broad view of your client while they are performing a movement. When you’re focused on one spot, you’re using Foveal Vision. It’s a sort of tunnel vision, wherein which you can only see what your vision is focused. The ideal state for you to be in is what is called The Learning State. In this state of Relaxed Awareness, your vision relaxes and you can take in information using your peripheral vision.
Peripheral vision is that part of your vision that allows you to notice MOVEMENT. It’s that aspect of seeing that allows you to notice when a mouse is moving in the corner of the room you’re sitting in. When you’re training your client, you want to pick a spot on your client body to focus in on, and then gradually allow yourself to notice the movements of their body. Your peripheral vision is extremely sensitive and can pick up the slightest movements. You might be surprised when you discover that you can actually see a clients’ blood pulsing through their veins as your taking their pulse!!! Believe me, I was shocked when I first noticed it, but was no longer a mystery when I learned about the sensitivity of our peripheral Vision. When you learn to rely on your peripheral vision more and more during a session, you’ll start to notice the slightest changes in a clients’ posture as they perform an exercise. Are you aware of the fact that our conscious minds are only able to notice only about 7 bits or chunks of information at a time? The rest of the information is noticed by your subconscious mind
Know your client’s personality: This seems like a no brainer, but it becomes very important when you’re in the middle of a training session and your client starts to lose focus and starts talking about… non related session stuff to be polite.
First of all, you have to know what is motivating your client to train with you in the first place. What are the reasons your client is spending a couple of hours a week with you? In a way, you have to know their reasons as if they are your own. Make it a habit to write down their goals (which you should be doing if you’re a detailed personal trainer).
Make sure you understand your clients Motivation Sort. Are they training with you to avoid a certain state of being or are they training to attain a certain level of health. The distinction is very important. Many people are either motivated by what they want to avoid – Away From- and many people are motivated by what they want to achieve – Towards.
With a person who is motivated “Towards” something, their focus is on what they do Want.
With a person that is motivated “Away From” (or someone), their focus on what they don’t want.
When you listen to your clients speak, you’ll notice what their Motivation Sort is. The ones that “Don’t want to be fat” or “don’t want to look like that” are those who have an “Away from” Motivation sort.
In order to motivate those Away from clients, you have to remind them of what it is that they DON’T want. Once you have them focused on that, then you remind them of the actual fitness goal ie to run easier, to add more definition to their abs and legs, etc.
In order to Motivate those Towards clients, you remind them of what it is they DO want. It helps to have your client notes handy so that you can easily look at their information and remember what their motivation is in the first place.
Now…
You want to discover whether or not you’re client is Proactive or Reactive. Does your client call you and tell you they’re on the way – or do you have to call your client?
Again, understand this distinction is very important because once you become aware of your clients meta-programs, you can predict their actions, ie you can determine how they will react during training.
Please be aware that these Motivational traits are contextual – ie. Your client make be proactive in exercising with you, but they may be reactive in a work or conflict situation. The other contexts are not important. The important thing for you to realize here is that you must focus on their behavior within the training context. Makes sense?
Another important factor in the Trainer-Client relationship is the Training Environment and the affect it has on the client- and your own - ability to focus and have an productive workout.
Some people are able to focus on the task at hand no matter how much commotion is going on in the surroundings. The people are called “screeners”. They have the ability to “screen out” all stimuli that is not connected to the task at hand and get the task done. These are the people you see studying in loud and noisy places.
There are clients who may actually be distracted by all the stimuli and action in the surroundings to a high degree, to the point where they lose their focus. These people are called “Non screeners”. They absolutely have to have peace and quiet in order to get the task done.
Your task is to determine which one of the types your client is. You can determine their type by simply asking them what type of place they prefer to train in. If your clients prefer to train in quiet surroundings, and yet you have no way to provide such an environment, then you have to consistently bring their focus from the environment back to yourself. You can easily do this by directing them to look at a specific point or pay attention to a specific sound in the environment. You can even suggest to them the natural phenomenon of all the sounds in the background fading away to silence as they focus on the task at hand. The simplest approach is to keep them busy – Keep your clients body active and their mind will stay active. Make use of active recovery periods so that although their muscles are resting from the previous set, they are still engaged in some purposeful activity. Remember this always – You can only focus your attention on ONE thing at a time.
Now….
Being a Personal Trainer, I realize that you might have an easier time working with a certain client or a certain “Type” of client. That’s fine. That’s even natural. Isn’t their a certain type of person that you tend to like to hang out with? Isn’t their a certain type of person that you tend to avoid? What do you do when you’re training a client that you can’t stand? Remember, a client is just a person that you instructing in exercises to become more fit. In a situation like this, you want to develop rapport with your client. You want to gain some insight into your client so you can understand them.
Have you ever really hated someone you didn’t really know too well, but when you took the time to get to know them and UNDERSTAND, you started to like them more and more to the point where you actually became good friends?
Become curious about your clients. When you start to become curious about them, you’ll discover that you’ll understand them more and more. Being curious is the key. That rapport that you steadily develop allows you and your client to have very productive sessions.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
One habit that you want to develop is the ability to monitor your clients’ reactions to exercise with your vision. You want to relax your vision and use your peripheral vision to get a broad view of your client while they are performing a movement. When you’re focused on one spot, you’re using Foveal Vision. It’s a sort of tunnel vision, wherein which you can only see what your vision is focused. The ideal state for you to be in is what is called The Learning State. In this state of Relaxed Awareness, your vision relaxes and you can take in information using your peripheral vision.
Peripheral vision is that part of your vision that allows you to notice MOVEMENT. It’s that aspect of seeing that allows you to notice when a mouse is moving in the corner of the room you’re sitting in. When you’re training your client, you want to pick a spot on your client body to focus in on, and then gradually allow yourself to notice the movements of their body. Your peripheral vision is extremely sensitive and can pick up the slightest movements. You might be surprised when you discover that you can actually see a clients’ blood pulsing through their veins as your taking their pulse!!! Believe me, I was shocked when I first noticed it, but was no longer a mystery when I learned about the sensitivity of our peripheral Vision. When you learn to rely on your peripheral vision more and more during a session, you’ll start to notice the slightest changes in a clients’ posture as they perform an exercise. Are you aware of the fact that our conscious minds are only able to notice only about 7 bits or chunks of information at a time? The rest of the information is noticed by your subconscious mind
Know your client’s personality: This seems like a no brainer, but it becomes very important when you’re in the middle of a training session and your client starts to lose focus and starts talking about… non related session stuff to be polite.
First of all, you have to know what is motivating your client to train with you in the first place. What are the reasons your client is spending a couple of hours a week with you? In a way, you have to know their reasons as if they are your own. Make it a habit to write down their goals (which you should be doing if you’re a detailed personal trainer).
Make sure you understand your clients Motivation Sort. Are they training with you to avoid a certain state of being or are they training to attain a certain level of health. The distinction is very important. Many people are either motivated by what they want to avoid – Away From- and many people are motivated by what they want to achieve – Towards.
With a person who is motivated “Towards” something, their focus is on what they do Want.
With a person that is motivated “Away From” (or someone), their focus on what they don’t want.
When you listen to your clients speak, you’ll notice what their Motivation Sort is. The ones that “Don’t want to be fat” or “don’t want to look like that” are those who have an “Away from” Motivation sort.
In order to motivate those Away from clients, you have to remind them of what it is that they DON’T want. Once you have them focused on that, then you remind them of the actual fitness goal ie to run easier, to add more definition to their abs and legs, etc.
In order to Motivate those Towards clients, you remind them of what it is they DO want. It helps to have your client notes handy so that you can easily look at their information and remember what their motivation is in the first place.
Now…
You want to discover whether or not you’re client is Proactive or Reactive. Does your client call you and tell you they’re on the way – or do you have to call your client?
Again, understand this distinction is very important because once you become aware of your clients meta-programs, you can predict their actions, ie you can determine how they will react during training.
Please be aware that these Motivational traits are contextual – ie. Your client make be proactive in exercising with you, but they may be reactive in a work or conflict situation. The other contexts are not important. The important thing for you to realize here is that you must focus on their behavior within the training context. Makes sense?
Another important factor in the Trainer-Client relationship is the Training Environment and the affect it has on the client- and your own - ability to focus and have an productive workout.
Some people are able to focus on the task at hand no matter how much commotion is going on in the surroundings. The people are called “screeners”. They have the ability to “screen out” all stimuli that is not connected to the task at hand and get the task done. These are the people you see studying in loud and noisy places.
There are clients who may actually be distracted by all the stimuli and action in the surroundings to a high degree, to the point where they lose their focus. These people are called “Non screeners”. They absolutely have to have peace and quiet in order to get the task done.
Your task is to determine which one of the types your client is. You can determine their type by simply asking them what type of place they prefer to train in. If your clients prefer to train in quiet surroundings, and yet you have no way to provide such an environment, then you have to consistently bring their focus from the environment back to yourself. You can easily do this by directing them to look at a specific point or pay attention to a specific sound in the environment. You can even suggest to them the natural phenomenon of all the sounds in the background fading away to silence as they focus on the task at hand. The simplest approach is to keep them busy – Keep your clients body active and their mind will stay active. Make use of active recovery periods so that although their muscles are resting from the previous set, they are still engaged in some purposeful activity. Remember this always – You can only focus your attention on ONE thing at a time.
Now….
Being a Personal Trainer, I realize that you might have an easier time working with a certain client or a certain “Type” of client. That’s fine. That’s even natural. Isn’t their a certain type of person that you tend to like to hang out with? Isn’t their a certain type of person that you tend to avoid? What do you do when you’re training a client that you can’t stand? Remember, a client is just a person that you instructing in exercises to become more fit. In a situation like this, you want to develop rapport with your client. You want to gain some insight into your client so you can understand them.
Have you ever really hated someone you didn’t really know too well, but when you took the time to get to know them and UNDERSTAND, you started to like them more and more to the point where you actually became good friends?
Become curious about your clients. When you start to become curious about them, you’ll discover that you’ll understand them more and more. Being curious is the key. That rapport that you steadily develop allows you and your client to have very productive sessions.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
For personal Trainers...
What do you when you have no clients?
First of all, you must realize that this time that you have now is an opportunity – what can you do with the time that you have to yourself now, that would have been otherwise occupied by a training session?
Is there something that you needed to get done, but you could never find the time to do it – either because you were busy with training or it just seemed to slip your mind?
Well, take this time that you have now to get all those important tasks done.
While you’re at it, make use of this time and reflect on the clients that you’ve trained. Take the time to notice what problems you encountered while training and notice what you can do to prevent that problem in the future.
Reflection allows us to look back on our experiences and mine them for gold – for what works and what doesn’t work. This the crucial distinction between a "okay" personal trainer... and a trainer that is so good that he/she has to hire other trainers to help them manage the clients that constantly swarm to them. See the difference?
Review your basic anatomy and notice how much you know- or don’t know. I find it very interesting that every time I take the time to go back to the textbooks and review anatomy, I realize how much I know- and how much I have yet to learn. It helps me to realize that personal training doesn’t just apply to training others – we are training ourselves in the process. Learning is a life long process. The more you learn the more valuable you become, not only to yourself and your clients, but to your friends and family and ultimately, the world.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
First of all, you must realize that this time that you have now is an opportunity – what can you do with the time that you have to yourself now, that would have been otherwise occupied by a training session?
Is there something that you needed to get done, but you could never find the time to do it – either because you were busy with training or it just seemed to slip your mind?
Well, take this time that you have now to get all those important tasks done.
While you’re at it, make use of this time and reflect on the clients that you’ve trained. Take the time to notice what problems you encountered while training and notice what you can do to prevent that problem in the future.
Reflection allows us to look back on our experiences and mine them for gold – for what works and what doesn’t work. This the crucial distinction between a "okay" personal trainer... and a trainer that is so good that he/she has to hire other trainers to help them manage the clients that constantly swarm to them. See the difference?
Review your basic anatomy and notice how much you know- or don’t know. I find it very interesting that every time I take the time to go back to the textbooks and review anatomy, I realize how much I know- and how much I have yet to learn. It helps me to realize that personal training doesn’t just apply to training others – we are training ourselves in the process. Learning is a life long process. The more you learn the more valuable you become, not only to yourself and your clients, but to your friends and family and ultimately, the world.
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
Everybody wants a Summer Body..
And that's perfectly fine. Who doesn't want to have an attractive body for the summertime?
You do realize that you have your body for more than just the 3-4 months hat make up summer, don't you?
Why not focus your attention on having a summer body for the rest of your life?
Doesn't that seem like a better way to think about your body?
Yeah, I know, not too many people are going to see your body when it's all covered up during the winter time... except of course that special someone... and yourself, but...
You have to remember that you're the one that wakes up and sees yourself in the mirror every morning.
During the cold winter months, when the snow is covering the ground (and those neighbors that aren't too fond of you), think of this time as the perfect time to cultivate your body.
Practitioners of Chinese Medicine believe that winter time is a time to collect and store your energy, so that when spring comes around, you hit the ground running.
Sure, you might not be a winter person, but while you feel like you're stuck inside the house, or that you hate the cold, why not buy some weights and use them a little bit everyday, so that you can build up you summer body?
Doesn't that just make sense?
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
PS. We know you want a bolder paper person ( it's just a test, just ignore it and go back and read this post again...)
You do realize that you have your body for more than just the 3-4 months hat make up summer, don't you?
Why not focus your attention on having a summer body for the rest of your life?
Doesn't that seem like a better way to think about your body?
Yeah, I know, not too many people are going to see your body when it's all covered up during the winter time... except of course that special someone... and yourself, but...
You have to remember that you're the one that wakes up and sees yourself in the mirror every morning.
During the cold winter months, when the snow is covering the ground (and those neighbors that aren't too fond of you), think of this time as the perfect time to cultivate your body.
Practitioners of Chinese Medicine believe that winter time is a time to collect and store your energy, so that when spring comes around, you hit the ground running.
Sure, you might not be a winter person, but while you feel like you're stuck inside the house, or that you hate the cold, why not buy some weights and use them a little bit everyday, so that you can build up you summer body?
Doesn't that just make sense?
Sincerely,
Amir Campbell
PS. We know you want a bolder paper person ( it's just a test, just ignore it and go back and read this post again...)
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