Doug Jackson’s Fitness Blog

Tonight I was pushing through more in-depth material I needed to learn as I’m going through the process of opening my fitness studio.

I was tired. Watching TV would’ve been easier.

My brain hurt.

But I believe that the more I push on, the more I challenge my brain while it’s fatigued, the stronger and more effective it will grow.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe that there’s a time and a place for rest, but usually the issue is that of too much laziness, not an issue of too much work.

And most of the leading stress physiologists and neuropsychiatrists in the world believe this point.

The body was designed to be pushed.

I have a fundamental faith in that idea because of my experience with strength training.

Yesterday I had been about three-quarters of the way through my workout when I was knocking out my last set of dumbbell pullovers. I had completed my twelth repetition and could’ve of easily quit.

But I asked myself:

“Is that all you’ve got?”

“You’ve got more. Don’t quit. You’ve got at least three more.”

So I took a deep breath and focused on cranking out three more reps.

I finished them and thought:

“Well, you’re hurtin’ but you’ve still got more. Quit now and you will stay the same. Keep going. Two more reps and you will have given those muscles the challenge that they need to grow.”

So I knocked out the last two reps.

And you know what?

The muscles that were worked by the dumbbell pullover were sore today. They would’nt have been if I had stopped at twelve or fifteen. But seventeen reps was the magic number.

They say that we all have our crosses to carry. That’s life. But next time you feel like giving up, try this experiment:

Go outside and run as far as you can. And when you think you can’t go any longer, keep going. Even if your legs give out, pick yourself up and keep going.

It’s the extra reps, the last fifteen seconds when we are gasping for air, the last ten pages that we read when our brains hurt, that shows us what we are made of. And once we see what we are really capable of, life is good.

“What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn’t think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know.”
-Arnold Schwarzenegger

I don’t take on too many new clients anymore.

But I took one on almost two months ago now.

I took the client on because I felt I could make a difference.

She was a young mother with over 100 pounds to lose.

During our first meeting, I was very honest with her.

I told her “Look, I don’t mean to be harsh, but if you don’t start getting on the right track, you will die at a young age.”

I wanted her to truly understand that the weight gain on the outside was just a sign of the deterioration on the inside.

I’m happy to say that she made almost unbelievable changes in her dietary habits - probably quicker than I had ever seen someone do it.

She went from a typical dinner of lots of pizza, cookies, and ice cream, to things like chicken breast, potatoes, and veggies in just two weeks.

Now she typically strength trains twice per week and walks for 45-minutes, approximately five additional days per week.

She went back to her doctor for a physical after her first four weeks of working out.

I’m not exaggerating when I say the doctor was astonished. For years, her weight had gone up considerably during each visit.

This time, she was twenty pounds lighter.

And addition to clothes starting to fit differently, things were changing on the inside as well.

Her diastolic blood pressure dropped a massive twenty points as well (I, too, was amazed how quickly that happened!)

And when she went in to see a specialist a few weeks later, the doctor told her that it was the first time in years that her thyroid hormone levels had stabilized.

Nowadays, we talk about big pharma.

Well, once again we see that the vast majority of best-selling drugs could be replaced with positive changes in eating habits and getting a sweat going most days of the week.

And the side effects? Well, there are plenty with the drugs.

The side effects with her lifestyle changes? How about increased confidence, improved relationships, and a new sense of empowerment?

That, folks, can change lives.

There is a reason that one of my main client groups is doctors. The doctors see sickness and they see health. They know what it REALLY takes to be healthy.

So I have some great clients who are doctors that are really promoting healthy living by leading by example.

I congratulate both my new client on her dedication to making some really big changes, and my clients who are doctors that realize that changing exercise and nutrition habits heals people as well.

I have two options for you today:
1) If you are South Floridian finally ready to get fit, I’ll be happy to do an initial consultation with you to see if I can match you up with the right trainer for your goals. Simply fill out the form on: http://www.south-florida-personal-trainer.com/VIP-fitness-consultat…

2) If you aren’t in South Florida or personal training isn’t right for you right now, I invite you to download my complimentary Ultimate Exercise Guide at: http://www.UltimateExerciseGuide.com

Last week I wrote about how to get and stay motivated.

I discussed the importance of an inspiring mission and setting realistic deadlines.

There is a third key aspect in staying motivated and reaching your goals.

Social Support.

Having the right social support can’t be overrated.

Here’s just some of the social support that I have right now:

-My wife Emily

-My administrative assistant

-Leading fitness industry consultants

-Clients who are being patient in waiting for my new facility to open and being reasonable about putting up with temporary fixes (some have even paid for months of training in advance to help the cashflow of the business and show their belief in my mission).

-And many others

Each of these social support pillars helps keep me going when things are tough.

Let me give you a curret and drastic example.

After training my clients for the last two weeks in parks, in their homes, and at my community’s clubhouse, clients were getting good workouts, but I wasn’t totally satisfied with the situation. And I decided that waiting another 4-8 weeks to get the new facility open wasn’t an option.

So Emily and I decided to take a drastic measure: We are temporarily turning our apartment into a mini-fitness studio.

Two nights ago, we moved bookshelves and other furniture from the living room and put it in the bedroom.

Today, I’ll be putting our dining room table, chairs, and living room couches in storage.

I’ll be picking up strength training equipment from Boca Raton and Cooper City (got about $7,500 in equipment for $2,000) and setting it up in our home/ temporary studio.

When I first thought of the idea, I actually felt bad. Married for just four months and I’m doing this. I was sure that Emily would be thrilled. Yeah right. I sort of felt like I was failing as a husband.

But you know what? I told her about it and she said “let’s do it.” And we got to work.

Although I’m sure she’s stressed about the situation, she’s been 100% supportive. And in an already tough time period where having Emily really upset with me might have been a breaking point for me, her support and love has been a solid foundation that has given me the confidence to keep moving forward.

So, three things:

1) Realize that you can’t get very far alone. Find your mission and enlist support.

2) If you aren’t getting the support you need, maybe you just need to really ask for it.

3) Make sure to thank those who are supporting your goals.

Dedicated to your health, fitness, and human potential,

Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS