The Winter 2013 class of BTWG is officially underway as of this past Monday. 22 "New Recruits" have been selected for this class. The initial testing is wrapped up, the Orientation session is complete and the Recruits are on their 5th day of the program.
As the founder of the BTWG program, this is always an exciting time for me as I have the opportunity to share what I've learned and experienced over the past 20 years as a wellness coach and I have the chance to help people make a positive change in their health, fitness, and well-being.
Please stop by the BTWG main blog on a regular basis to see what's happening during this exciting time of BTWG. Also, be sure to check out the blogs hosted by the Students, Mentor's and Coaches in Training, all of which are listed on the right side of this blog.
A note to all the Recruits:
Remember, while you have been provided specific workouts you can follow, this program is about YOUR practice and YOUR life. So, if you have other modalities of being active, you are welcome to employ those activities in place of what you have been provided. Just be sure to communicate with me and keep me posted in your weekly update and I can help guide you to what is appropriate with your goals and your vision.
Also, remember that if you need more personal guidance and assistance, you can attend the free workouts at Circle City Strength & Conditioning which are:
Tuesday Yoga from 9:30 - 10:30am
Thursday Yoga from 6:45 - 7:45pm
Sunday workout for BTWG'ers only from 12:00 - 1:00pm
BTWG Student, Becky, during a 1 on 1 session with
Coach Chris. Sandbag Squats. Just another example
of mixing it up with your training. Nice form, Becky!
Oh, wait. That's right... Taco Bell wasn't thinking when they ran an ad which they quickly pulled after enough grumbling from the public. What's the beef all about? The commercial starts with, "Bringing veggies on game day is like punting on 4th and 1. It's a cop-out; and secretly, people kinda hate you for it." Really, Taco Bell? Here is the ad which can still be found floating around the internet, thank you YouTube.
I get it. Most people would rather throw down on some fast food tacos than raw veggies. Taking a quick look into the current state of health and obesity in the US drives that point home faster than Taco Bell can whip up a batch of their pre-packaged taco mystery meat. And, I get it that places like Taco Bell count on us spending our food dollars with them rather than on veggies - though calling anything served at Taco Bell "food" is a stretch in the use of the word "food". Yet, promoting that bringing veggies to game day is lame AND that people will think you are a big d-bag is pretty over the top and inexcusable.
Of course to drive the point home, the dude in the commercial brings over a bunch of limp, way-past-the-expiration-date-sad vegetables rather than something that resembles.... say... this!
Go ahead. Hate me for bringing this. I dare ya!
I have an idea, Taco Bell. How about you sell your "food" in a manner that displays what you are really serving up. Let the hero in your commercial show up with a big bag full of this and see how much love he gets...
Click to enlarge. Sounds delish, right?
As always, my point isn't about being controversial. Being controversial about food is pretty easy and there are already way too many talking heads and bloggers out there to get people worked up. My vision is about helping others to wake up to what is in our food supply and to know what this stuff does to our bloodstream, to our mind, and to our spirit. My point is about giving you the opportunity to make an informed decision - you are free to select Taco Bell all you want, but you should at least know what's going into your pie hole when you make that choice. My point is about waking people up to the marketing and propaganda which has an direct impact on how we behave, the choices we make, how we spend our money and how we nourish ourselves. Example: In 2010, the fast food industry spent over $4 billion on marketing. Ya think that might distort the perception and actions of more than a few Americans?
I'll leave you with this "food for thought":
"The
conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of
the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen
mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds
are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have
never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic
society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this
manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In
almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politicsor
business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind."
Edward Bernays, the father of public relations and marketing. 1928, in his book "Propaganda". Use your google-fu skills to learn more about this cat and then tell me you are above the control of marketing and advertising!
All calories are not created equal when it comes to your waist line and your wellness. Zero calorie drinks can still contain toxins, sketchy artificial ingredients, and all sorts of chemicals. Not to mention the addictive qualities of many soft drinks and "fake" juices. Artificial sweeteners also trigger insulin secretion which promotes fat storage, stresses the pancreas, and trigger the brain into craving more sweet foods and beverages, i.e. the "vicious cycle" that many struggle with. The ONLY Coca-Cola product you should even think about drinking on a regular basis is MAYBE Dasani water. Is that to say you should never drink a Coke or Diet Coke again? Of course not! An occasional can of poison won't kill you, just don't make it a regular part of your diet and keep it to an absolute minimum. If and when it feels right for you to eliminate it all together, do so. Your bloodstream thanks you. Just don't be fooled by the marketing and ads.
Quite a few emails, messages, private conversations, and Facebook posts have
come my way from several of the recent BTWG students. The jest of the
news is essentially the same - "I fell off the BTWG Lifestyle wagon
during the holidays". Let's face it, no one truly "falls off", we chose
to get off the wagon - either consciously or unconsciously, we slide
off, jump off or sabotage our way off the wagon. Acknowledging this truth is the
accountability that is necessary for transformation - accepting
responsibility for our actions. In BTWG we learn that we cannot have a victim
mentality if we are to truly transform our lives. Accepting this truth
should not be viewed as anything associated with guilt. Instead it
should be embraced with empowerment and enthusiasm. You are in charge.
You are in control of your self and your actions.
Okay, now
that I've REALLY made some of you feel like a slacker, let's talk about
another truth - for the recent Grads, this was your FIRST holiday season post-BTWG so to
expect that you would navigate the holidays without a few slip ups, or a
bunch of slip ups, isn't very realistic. As we discuss during the BTWG program, it REALLY takes a full year to even get close to dialing in
this lifestyle, let alone mastering the path. You need to experience
the holidays. You need to experience birthdays, vacations, travel,
illness, injury, all of it, before you can master this lifestyle. So
you didn't plan well. So you allowed yourself to break the 90% rule
more than a few days during the holidays. So you totally threw out the
Hunger/Satisfied scale. So you didn't stick to your workout plan. So
you didn't meditate or do yoga to help you deal with the stress,
excitement or pressure of the holidays. So what? It happens! This
won't be your last holiday season, right? There are many, many more to
come, right? Take this as a learning experience! Take accountability,
learn from it, and move forward! Reflect on what went well as well as
what didn't go well this season. Next year do more of the things that went well for
you. Next year do fewer of the things that didn't go well for you.
Have a plan and stick with your plan... a REALISTIC plan! Perhaps it
takes 5 years before you can glide through the holidays with your health,
fitness, and well-being in tact. Isn't that better than beating
yourself up and repeating the same poor choices year after year;
fighting the same battle over and over or choosing to not fight at all?
I vote "yes".
As always, feel free to reach out to me or any
of the BTWG Mentors for help. We are always here to help out any way we
can. Also, the next round of BTWG will be starting in February.
Consider joining us as this will help reinforce what you have already
learned and deepen your practice and skillfulness for the future. There
will be a discount extended to those who have participated in previous
classes! Dates and details will be officially announced on Monday, January 21st.
Please let me know if you have testimonials to share about your holiday experience or if you have any questions.
In Saturday’s meeting at PR Fitness I shared a
handful of assignments, or practices, that I have only shared with a handful of
private training clients over the years. These mindfulness practices are incredibly
simple, yet incredibly potent.They were
passed on to me by my former Teachers more than a dozen years ago, and I continue to
practice them on a regular basis.
Meditation at PR Fitness
I’ve been around the block quite a bit over the
years and have experienced all sorts of practices that are more elaborate, more
“secret”, more far out, more esoteric, or more whatever.I’ve never been impressed with any of these
practices.While they may give you some
sort of short term hit or high, I find they fail to offer any true
transformation or insight.They are not
long term solutions or beneficial, especially in my day to day life of the
lives of the people I work with.Generally, the more simple and mundane, the more impact the practice
will have.
Mindful cleaning
The challenge lies in the discipline and
consistency of implementing these practices.It’s easy to do the simple exercises we did on Saturday and feel good
about it when you do it once, maybe a whole week, or possibly a whole
month.Yet it can be challenging to
stick with these assignments for YEARS!The true benefit occurs in the consistency, in doing these practices
when they are no longer fun or interesting, in sticking with your practice no
matter what – that is when true transformation happens.
More mindful cleaning...
There is nothing magical in cleaning a floor while
in Yoga Squat.There is nothing special
about eating mindfully and there is nothing far out about walking mindfully,
yet all three of these activities contain a lifetime of practice and deep
benefit.
A lifetime of practice...
Here is some feedback on the practice that has come in so far. Feel free to share your experiences as well!
"I really enjoyed Saturday's meeting. The cleaning exercise taught me that I need to get into my squat for longer periods of time. Showing me the importance of serving and leaving areas better than you found them in life. When walking, my strides felt better. I hadn't experienced that the "Quieter the Mind" the more you see when you are going through actions... Interesting. The Grape scenario showed me how to involve the senses while eating... I found myself treating it as communion, a touch point to God everyday that I miss. I will give thanks more actively now. "
"I really appreciated the Mindfulness activities that we did today at the meeting. I definitely took it with me the rest of the day, and made it a point to be mindful as much as possible. When I was driving, cooking, cleaning, running, and even grocery shopping! I even saved money that way :] I am just blown away by how much i just keep growing as a person throughout this program. Just when I feel like i know enough, you throw more amazing stuff at us to become even stronger."
Mindful walking...
"I used it today & enjoyed the fuller experience of all. Thanks for the great lessons."
"Mindfully had dinner with my
parents tonight and afterwards played games and colored with the girls.
We were truly ´in the moment´.
"I applied it especially
during my walk this morning! Very aware of the sights and sounds that
were going on around me. It was beautiful to be out before dawn.
Additionally, I was very 'present' in a fun afternoon of shopping and
dashing in and out of the rain with my husband. We had a blast!"
One of my all time favorite comedies, "Airplane". Has BTWG ever made
you feel like this? Sorry for you younger Recruits who may not have
seen the movie: ) The truth is, there is never a "right" time to change
poor lifestyle choices and habits. The best time is always "now".
Enjoy your weekend!
Dats right - Week 1 of BTWG is in the books and tomorrow we mindfully enter into Week 2 of the program.
I wanted to share a few thoughts, impressions, and insights about our current group of New Recruits.
First off, I had a feeling about this Crew from the get go. All in all, this group is really solid, dialed in, open, receptive, motivated, and willing. What more could I ask for? Our first group meeting, which took place yesterday, was also fantastic.
I also have to give a shout out to the BTWG Mentors: Joe, OG Kelly, Alison, Sherri, and Stacy. Each of the Mentors have been living the BTWG Lifestyle for several years and are in a role of assisting the New Recruits in their new Journey. Among other duties, the Mentors are assigned 4-5 Recruits that they check in with each week and offer their assistance, guidance, and insight. These guys have walked the talk and are their to help their Recruits when they are hitting a snag. They also provide a skillful listening ear as a Recruit may often feel more comfortable talking to their Mentor about something that they are not comfortable sharing with me.
All in all, this is one AWESOME community and it's only getting better.
BTWG Mentor, OG Kelly, sharing some wisdom with the New Recruits
The deck at Peace Through Yoga, Eagle Creek park, made an
awesome setting for our Week 1 Group Meeting .
Stay tuned for more updates and insights coming soon. Also, watch this site for new blogs coming from our current Recruits!
