Pat's Health Fix

We’re Taking Over The Gym

Over the past few weeks something really fun has been happening at the local gym — a ton of my friends have  been signing up as members.  The cool effect is that now I basically have an on-call workout buddy any time of the day.

Having an accountability partner is one of the absolutely most effective ways to achieve results in your fitness goals.

My roommate Matt is one of my new gym buddies.  It’s been really incredible so far to have someone living in my house pushing me to hit the gym regularly.  The flip side is that  when he isn’t in the mood to work out, I usually will be — which gives him that little extra boost needed to make it to the gym.

Slow Carb Diet

It’s true what they say — maintenance is definitely the hardest part!  Three years ago, when I was in the midst of my body re-design journey, it was fairly easy for me to make the right choices.  Choosing lean protein over greasy burgers, fresh veggies instead of fries, and water rather than beer seemed like a breeze.

Looking back now, I realize that the ease in making the right decisions came from my commitment to my mission.  I was willing to change my behavior to reach my goals because I was so strongly connected to succeeding.

Stop Worrying About Failure

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

–Michael Jordan

I absolutely love this quote by Michael Jordan, it’s easily one of my favorite quotes and I’m not even much of a basketball fan.  The reason that I relate to it so deeply is that I see the parallels in every aspect of life.

Proper Form and Posture

Over the past few months I have learned a difficult and expensive lesson on the importance of proper posture.  Years ago, I hurt my lower back while weight training with improper form.

Although the pain went away after just a few hours, I have now realized that failing to actually fix the underlying problems (improper form and posture) led to much greater trouble today.

The Pain of Improper Posture

Like most people in our society, I spend a huge portion of my day in front of a computer.  The combination of sitting with improper posture (rounded back, neck bent backwards, slouching… you name it) and not actively working on stretches and exercises to strengthen my core muscles connected to my spine started to cause some serious pain.

Keeping The Weight Off

One of the biggest lessons I have learned since losing significant weight is that keeping the weight off is so much harder than losing it in the first place.  When you get addicted to fitness, you turn into an unstoppable machine because you are striving for a goal.

Skipping out on unhealthy foods can be easy and automatic because you have a driving purpose.  However, once you hit your goals and plateau, simply “maintaining” your progress typically doesn’t drive you enough to stick to your healthier habits.