Life's Tipping Points

 Hi, Everyone! I know it's been forever since I've written a post. A ton has happened in the last year and a half. Cory and I got married and have a beautiful little girl. Iris Ivory Cox! Who would have thought? I don't believe in the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for". I'm more of a believer of the phrase, "NEVER SAY NEVER!" I have said in the past on numerous occasions the words I'm never getting married or I don't want kids! I'm glad things don't always turn out the way we think we want them to. 

I believe where we are at in life at this very moment is the sum of the choices we have made leading up to the here and now. The small decisions make a huge impact on our family life, our career and our physical and mental health. Getting into established routines is extremely important so we don't have to make decisions everyday because we have built in habits. BUT.... What happens when things change?  Some of the most crucial times in someone's fitness journey is after they've been pretty sick, just started a new job, new relationship, new baby... creating new habits as quickly as possible is important.  Small decisions in the moment lead us onto very different paths. I like to share my experiences in hope that it might help my clients. When I don't train clients super early in the morning I usually roll out of bed and go for a run or a bike ride. It's almost second nature. Then I get blessed with baby Iris. Late nights rocking baby to sleep, midnight cries and diaper changes puts a little damper on the enthusiasm to roll out of bed and run... The first week was super hard to exercise early on. I did it though. I mean I do have the T-shirt in my closet that says "ONLY YOU PREVENT DAD BODS" With a picture of Smokey the Bear on it. What happens if I stay in bed one morning and that rolls into the next one? I then decide I'm too busy or too tired to exercise in the morning. Then fast forward 5 years. Will my life be different? I would argue absolutely. 

I recently read a magnificent book called the Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I highly recommend it. The character in the book gets to experience different lives that were created by things in her past she chose to do or chose not to do. Example where would I be at this moment if COVID never happened and I wasn't forced to leave my vortex of a life at LA fitness? Would I be married to Cory and have a beautiful little girl? I would say probably not. The chances are I would still be a big fish in a very small pond that falsely satisfied my fragile ego. We have all asked the WHAT IF??? Questions? While there is a ton of things out of our control I believe we can protect our physical and mental well being by having a little checklist. 

Life can be extremely stressful.  We have numerous responsibilities. Bills, work, family obligations, social pressures. It can be overwhelming and make it easy to succumb to depression and lethargy. Here are some small things I try to do everyday to help navigate my day. 
[  ] Stay Hydrated. Glass of water upon waking..real water... coffee doesn't count.  Lol up to 60% of our body is made of water. Makes sense if we are dehydrated that we're also feeling fatigued and unmotivated to live. 

[  ] Exercise daily. Get that heart rate up. I find early runs or lifting sessions starts my day off right.  Sex counts. More on that soon.

[  ] Read or listen to something or someone that will push you for personal growth. I love audible books or podcasts. Or the voices in my head.

[  ] If in a relationship. Have sex frequently with your partner.  Make time for it. In a healthy context it strengthens the bond between you and your partner and it helps with elevated mood.
[  ] Listen to those around you and ask questions. Be a sponge. Learn. Not just from people you tend to agree with. 
[  ] Tell someone you love them everyday
[  ] Gratitude list.  What are you grateful for? My wife, my baby, my career that I love. 

NO matter how bad shit gets always remember everything is temporary. A favorite phrase of mine is "This too shall pass" 

Love you all. Please share, comment, or like. Brian 

Work

     Hi everyone, today I'm going to talk about that FOUR letter word.... WORK. Last week I talked about us being in a society of wanting our results RIGHT NOW!  We want immediate pay off and pleasure. To some "work" is a dirty 4 letter word. Not to MY amazing hard working clients though. Just the others out there...

 WORK: (1.) activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result; (2.) a task or tasks to be undertaken; something a person or thing has to do

    What I have found to be true in my life and the lives of my clients is a lot of time our behavior/action follows our thoughts, emotions, feelings and perceptions. This is not always for our betterment. Most of the time when my behavior is led by my emotions or my feelings the situation turns to SHIT real quick. A whole self-help movement has been focused on controlling your thoughts for better behavior/actions. It's extremely hard to master. Neuroscience research is coming out that our thoughts, feelings, emotions and perceptions follow our behavior. I will bring extreme simplicity to what goes on with us and our brain when encountering decisions and situations. 

Action dictates Mood. We have all come to moments in our life when we face a situation and we just don't WANT to do it. Doesn't matter how good that action can be for us in the long run. Like exercising. If we don't feel like exercising, we don't. If we justify all the REASONS why we shouldn't exercise, WE DON'T. We don't have time. We work too much. My spouse doesn't support it. I don't FEEL like it. Not enough money in the budget. I broke a nail. My personal favorite is that I'm having a bad hair day. You get the point. The early stages of hard work and focus are going to feel like stress and agitation. Science shows that when we face something that causes us discomfort or fear we react one of three ways. 1.) We freeze. No action. Continuously bombarded by our thoughts, worries and concerns 2.) We run away. We then try to forget about the problem. Getting lost in our T.V. shows, drugs, alcohol and so forth 3.) We move forward through the discomfort. Action will push the fear away. We have a purpose and we do what we need to do by not letting our feelings, emotions and perceptions change our action. The brain then rewards us with dopamine which helps us moving forward with the task at hand. Action dictates mood. 

I believe the biggest payoffs in life come from getting out of our comfort zones and doing things good for us that we simply don't want to do. Over the years I have seen clients come in having a really bad day and being in a super foul mood. Magically when our session is over they leave feeling so much better! As much as I would love to take credit for that -- over the years I have said I'm magical, LOL  I digress -- it's hormones being released when you take action. 

Conditions are never perfect. "Someday", "Next week", "Tomorrow" are all diseases that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro's and Con's lists are just as bad. If it's important to you and you want to do it "eventually," just do it and correct course along the way. I got this from Tim Ferriss. I changed that a little but the main thought is his. We can use this in all facets of our life. Going to the gym. Looking for that new job. Starting a new career. Traveling more. Take Action Today! Having a goal and a purpose and then taking direct steps toward making that happen. It's called putting in work. That dirty FOUR letter word. Take chances. Do not let fear of the uncertainty freeze you or make you retreat. 

I love you all and I really appreciate every single one of you. I have a few one on one training openings left if interested.(520)449-2011  Please share if you get anything out of this blog. Have a great day and remember ... Put in the work! Brian 

I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!

 Hi, I hope you all are doing well in these unprecedented times we live in. One of the biggest obstacles I have seen with my clients over the years is the expectation for immediate results. Brian... "I ate a salad yesterday and I did 5 hours of cardio! Why haven't I lost the 50 pounds of fat I've accumulated over the last 5 years of binge eating and being a couch potato?!?!?." We have become a society of the "quick fix". We want everything done yesterday. When the "expectations" are not met immediately, discouragement follows and then quitting exercise programs and healthy eating lifestyles. My fellow Training Guru Derek has often been heard quoting. "Expectation is the Mother of Disappointment".  The hard truth of the matter is that it took a while to put the weight on. It will take time, dedication, and sustained effort to take the weight off and to keep it off. 

    Billions of dollars are made through promises of quick weight loss. And honestly some of these methods work and they work quickly. But... It usually happens like this: Early rapid weight loss, followed by a plateau in weight loss, followed by progressively putting the weight back on. This cycle happens over and over again. 90 % of men and woman who took off drastic amounts of weight quickly,end up regaining it back within two years. The majority of the Biggest Loser contestants all returned to their pre-show weight. How do I start a healthier lifestyle of exercise and eating healthy without quitting because of discouragement? We need to re-frame our mindset and what and why we are doing this. 

   1.) Keep your goals simple and attainable.Seeing small victory after small victory motivates us to keep going and then we look back and see this war that we won without even realizing it. The scale is not the deciding factor when it comes to getting results. (I would throw the scale out of most of your bathroom windows if I could.) Just exercise alone for a few weeks can change your blood work. I am a proponent of my clients taking before and after pictures. For your use. (DO NOT SEND THEM TO ME), Measurements. Body fat percentage.  Paying attention to your clothes fitting looser as time goes on. All better ways of judging success than the scale.

2.) Getting some form of exercise daily HAS to be as important as brushing your teeth, eating and breathing. It is essential for mental well being and physical health. Something you do EVERY DAY. It could be a brisk morning walk, a swim in the pool, bike ride, weights.... If you need ideas and options please reach out to me. A sedentary lifestyle is killing us. When exercise just becomes a daily consistent part of your routine it no longer feels like a chore. It's just something you do. Preferably its something you enjoy. Find exercise that is fun and enjoyable. Do it with friends, family, neighbors. I don't know many people that continue exercise when it's not enjoyable. 

3.) Make it a PRIORITY. "BRIAN, you don't understand... I just don't have time for exercise." I call BULL SHIT. Turn off the T.V. and make time. According to a Nielsen report, the average American adult is watching 5 hours and four minutes of television per day on average. Equates to around 77 days each year. During quarantine some research is showing 8 hours plus of screen time.  I'm not even sure if that counts the time spent gaming on our phones and Netflix. Walk away from any form of screen time and get exercise in. You will thank me later. Binge watch that show after you get exercise in for the day. 

 I don't want this to become political but one thing I really really wish I would hear from the World governments during this pandemic is a call to Arms to be healthier! Encouraging citizens to be proactive! Exercise more and eat healthier non processed foods! Instead its quiet as a church mouse.... We need to have a positive impact on our neighbors and our loved ones. Encourage them to do what it takes to raise up there immune system. It's our main defense against viruses and diseases. I encourage you to take health into your own hands. Start today! 

    My job as a personal trainer is to help find that motivating factor to push my clients to do more to reach their goals. I call it that light switch that once turned on they become unstoppable and reach and exceed their goals. I have written a lot of blogs covering motivation. Go back and read them if you need an extra kick in the pants. I have joked over the years I could always tell when someone was about to get naked for someone new. All kinds of motivation in the gym. NOW, NOW.... All of you that are married or in serious relationships don't be saying Brian said this is how I'm going to get motivated again..Search deep and hard for your WHY factor and get started. This is not a quick fix. We are making a decision to change our lifestyle. Please, reach out to me for help. I am taking on new clients and would love the opportunity to work with new clients to live and be healthier. (520) 449-2011 

ANGEL BRIAN

I have been asked repeatedly to write a blog or two about nutrition and body composition change. There are so many different aspects and angles to cover when it comes to this topic. I'm a firm believer in the acronym K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple Stupid. Keeping things as simple as possible makes it easier to sustain. The majority of humans try to over complicate absolutely everything!! I've learned a few things about my clients over the years when it comes to nutrition. 1. They don't always understand what foods are healthy and what foods are not. 2. Clients repeatedly lie to me about their diet. LOL Yes, I said it. "Brian, do you eat healthy all of the time?" No, I do not. I'm probably more like 80% healthy and 20% not. Today, I'm going to try and cover the main questions I get asked when it comes to diet and body composition. I will mainly cover losing body fat. 

    I love the cliches that you hear in the fitness world. ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN! YOU CAN'T OUTWORK A BAD DIET! FOOD IS FUEL! IF IT HASN'T DIED OR CANT DIE DON'T EAT IT! The truth of the matter is these are all basically true statements. We just hear them so much we don't take them very seriously. Let's get to some of the basic questions I want to answer today. 

Question #1: How much do I need to exercise to lose body fat?

 Research has shown 5-7 hours a week of exercise is optimal for body composition change. I recommend 4 hours of resistance training and 2-3 hours of cardio. What type of cardio? Interval training. Message me and I will tailor a specific cardio program for you. 

Question #2: How many calories should I eat each day?

 Before I cover this let me be straight forward. I have never counted calories. I want my clients to learn how to eat healthy without being O.C.D. about eating. We want to have a healthy relationship with food. That being said I do understand knowing the importance of how many calories we are actually putting into our body. That's right... that ONE double stuffed oreo you're about to eat while reading this is 70 calories. And who has just one OREO??? NOT ME. You eat 5 and that just canceled your 1 hour workout. If you want to lose weight and body fat, the rule of thumb is Body Weight x 10-12= Calories per day. So if you are 170 pounds, your daily calorie count would be between 1,700- 2,040. I would recommend starting higher and slowly reducing dictated on results. 40% protein 40% carbs and 20% dietary fat. Contact me if you want specific numbers for your goals. 

Question #3: What's more important: how much I eat or what kind of foods I eat? 

It's a tough question. As Americans we eat WAY TOO MUCH FOOD at one sitting. So I would lean towards small portion control. But... that doesn't negate that eating nutrient packed foods isn't extremely important for performance and overall health. 

Question # 4: What kind of foods should I eat? 

Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and some whole grains should make up the majority of what you eat. While chicken and broccoli might get a little old it's extremely effective. Eating tons of veggies isn't only good for you, but they fill you up and are packed with nutrients and low on calories. Finding good lean protein sources is also extremely important. 

Question #5: What about cheat days? 

Have them. For my beginning clients I suggest meal prepping and eating healthy Monday through Friday and then Saturday and Sunday, you can have meals that aren't as healthy. This advice can be argued with but I believe that if you are too strict and deprive yourself of foods that you enjoy over a long period of time you set yourself up for a big binge or stopping healthy eating altogether. On these cheat days I still want you to watch your portions: 2 pieces of pizza, not a whole pizza... Makes sense? 

    Now let's live in an imaginary world and pretend that there is an angel Brian running around and living on his clients' shoulders. Ask yourself this... Would Brian approve of what I'm about to put in my mouth? Be honest with yourself about your diet and make an effort to follow these principles, and I know you will get closer to reaching your goals. 

I love you all and please contact me with any questions or help with getting in a healthy eating mindset. Please share if you found this helpful. 

Brian Cox 

TUCSON FITNESS LIFESTYLE AND COACHING 

The 2 most powerful words

         I wrote this 2 months ago. I updated it a little but I feel that it is still prevalent today. I  do realize that most of my blogs have nothing to do with exercise. Ha.. I will occasionally have some focused on that in the near future. I will also add a nutritional aspect to the blog. I believe that our most cherished gift and our worse enemy is our own human nature. So if we can learn to navigate those waters a little more clearly on a daily basis that will make us healthier in all levels of our life! I exercise for my mental health as much or more than for my physical appearance.

         An argument could be made that the two most powerful words in the English language is a genuine "THANK YOU". So simple. Easy to say. It means more to the people we say it to, then we might ever know. "The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated." William James, psychologist and philosopher. Sharing a simple thank you to someone in our life can have a huge impact on that person. When life's problems are completely overwhelming us, and we feel like we are drowning under the weight of everything. It could come from many sources, financial, family, work or personal issues ect. Our sanity could be slowly leaving us every minute this quarantine drags on. While we can't always change the current circumstances we might be able to shift our perspective a little. HOW? You ask.. By being thankful for what we do have. By focusing on the good things we have, it takes our mind off of our troubles. The shift in perspective can be extremely effective and powerful. Lets think of a few things that we can be grateful for. And give a silent/ or LOUD THANK YOU! I will begin.  

#1 THANK YOU to every single one of you. I can't express how much I appreciate you reading my blog and putting up with my text messages and facebook post's. If one of my blogs help just one of you that day, it makes it more then worth it. Writing the blog is therapeutic for me. Thank You!

#2 I'm grateful for a physical body that I can move and exercise with. I feel better after I physically exert myself. 

#3 I'm grateful for this amazing Universe we live in.  Nature is one of the most powerful healing forces we have. Use it.
#4 I'm extremely grateful for my clients. I would not have been able to start my own company without you! So thankful for you! 

Your turn! Take a few moments to think upon what you have to be thankful for no matter how bad things are we should be able to think of something. 

Thank some one in your life today. Even if they drive you bat shit crazy most the time. I know... Probably not a good time to bring up bats... My jokes are still bad. Get it. This all started with a bat. HA..

One of the most powerful helpful things in my life has been writing out a gratitude list. Try doing if for 30 days. Just write 3 things out everyday that you are thankful for. Try it out even if its just a few days and let me know how it goes. It will have a powerful impact on you and those around you. 

Lets shift topics a little. Eating healthy during quarantine can be challenging! I personally snack on fruit and have been grilling a lot of chicken and steak for meals with broccoli. Grilled in season veggies are pretty amazing. A healthy desert/snack: Frozen blueberries and bananas blended up to make "banana ice cream" If water is getting boring. Add fruit, cucumbers, fresh mint, ect... Make sure you're drinking plenty of water! Shoot for at least 1 gallon every day! I got some of these tips from a nutritionist friend of mine. I can send you her info if you're interested. 

I love you all. Hit me up if you need anything. Share to anyone that might benefit from this. Any client referrals will get you a free training session. Contact me @ 520 449-2011 or email me at brian@tucsonfitnessandlifestylecoaching.com 

STORM PROOF

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   5. Resilience: 1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
   6.                         2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity
   7. Flux: the action or process of flowing or flowing out.
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   11. “The only constant in life is change”-Heraclitus. We constantly live in a state of flux.  

   
   

   Hi everyone! Today's question is how do we stay resilient while living in such uncertain times? Where change is the only certainty we have and we live in a state of flux? 

   I believe by living a life focused on our values we can flourish in these unpredictable times and come through this even stronger than before! Those that have trained with me for a long period of time have had the pleasure of planking on a stability ball. If I'm extra feisty that day, I would give a speech about how important it is in life is to have a strong core and foundation. Eventually the storms of life will be blowing hard crashing into us, and we will make it through the storm ONLY IF we have that strong core and foundation. I then proceed to kick the ball from many different angles. In the fitness world its extremely important to have a strong core to be fully functional and resilient from injuries. Same as life... Our core values is our true foundation that we build our house and the rest of our life upon. Like the famous parable if we build our house upon sand it will get washed up when the storms come upon us. We all have values that we hold onto and are truly important to us. Example of a few: honesty, integrity, discipline, accountability, diligence, perseverance, Love, authenticity, joyfulness, responsibility, loyalty and ect... We could add many important values to this list.

   Aristotle- “Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.”

   I want to add the value of honesty to my life. I then make a commitment to be honest no matter what. Overtime I will naturally develop the value of honesty.
   I have found during the time of uncertainty that I have gravitated toward core values. Its extremely easy to lose sight of what is truly important in our life. We get overrun by anxiety, stress, bad news, fears.. the list goes on. John C. Maxwell- “When values, thoughts, feelings, and actions are in alignment, a person becomes focused and character is strengthened.” Lets stay focused on the things that are TRULY important to us. That will in turn make us extremely resilient to whatever 2020 has in store for us! Love you all! 

   Cell (520) 449-2011 

   bcoxptrainer@gmail.com 

   I am training and life coaching using sanitation and distancing protocols.  
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BLURRY VISION

A)  Vision: the act or power of seeing

B)  Sight: a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination

All my life I've had 20/20 vision. In the last couple of years, my sight has gotten blurry. Like most males I've tried to just will my vision better. I mean who needs an expert...if you don't acknowledge it, it will go away, right?? Ha! I must have lost some of my magical powers because to my amazement my vision has continued to get worse. 

What do we do when our vision gets blurry? Let me reframe. What do we do when our goals, our purpose, gets blurry? First, we need to make sure we have a definite chief aim. A purpose when it comes to life. Be specific when it comes to your goals. The acronym SMART helps me a ton: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. It can be losing 20lbs, running that marathon, starting a new career/job, or having successful personal relationships. I have found getting started on this path hasn't been the hard part, its continuing when we start to lose sight of our destination. Just like my eyes over time, our purpose can get blurry. What do we do when a cloudy haze fills our vision? 

Speaking from experience and I hope you all can relate on some level. I have found that a few things hold me back from achieving and seeking what I truly want. 

Fear: A) an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; B) (1): an instance of this emotion (2) : a state marked by this emotion. Failure: A) an omission of occurrence or performance; B) lack of success. 

I’ll be honest, the fear of failure scares the shit out of me. Let me take one step farther. The mere thought of failure gives me a sense of being inadequate and this in turn freezes me with fear. That's why we don't go back to school, change careers to something we truly love, or commit ourselves to meaningful relationships. We stay stagnant in our comfort zone of a bubble because it keeps the fear of failure outside and it gives us a sense of protection. So many times, we start along a path towards something and then we get stuck because we get comfortable. And then our purpose gets blurry...

These strange times we live in give us an extremely rare opportunity. We've been given TIME. Which is rare and fleeting. We've had an opportunity to take inventory of where we sit in life, to be still and reflect on what is truly important in our life, to have time to clear our vision and focus on our Universal given path. It’s been an amazing gift for me. We have TIME to reach out to experts that can help us get back on track: trainers, life coaches, financial advisors, spiritual advisors are just a few that come to mind. Use the experts! It's worth it! 

To those that may be wondering, I went to the eye doctor and I'm now wearing glasses... I can see a ton better. Who would have thought? I love you all. Please share if this can help someone. Would love input on what I can write future blogs on. I want to put out one a week at least. Stay ACTIVE, FOCUSED, DRIVEN and tell someone special you LOVE them today.  Brian 

Cell Phone # 520 449-2011

Email bcoxptrainer@gmail.com 

I am training and doing life coaching if interested.