During my workout, the idea to do a fitness bootcamp for people who want to exercise, but have issues with obesity. Many times, just like it was with me, these folks start off doing something, then fall right off for a lack of support. I believe that this is a part of something I am supposed to be doing. It’s all about giving back.

Even though I have not reached my goals, I have come a long way. I still consult with a group of extremely fit people so that I can continue to challenge myself and stay on top of things. My goal is to start this project on October 1, 2009. Now that I have put it out there, let’s see what happens when I take a leap of faith on this vision of mine.

Dreams mean work,

Lou Riley

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 verse

Blog Post #31

It takes more than me to be able to maintain my pace. This journey to losing weight has morphed into the journey to achieve success across multiple areas in my life. Although my videos and blogs have been from a “me first” perspective, trust when I tell you that I have a lot of others who have contributed to my effort. My good friend, who initially challenged me to get back on track was at the gym when I finished today’s Big Run. I told him I just ran 3.8 miles. He asked, “how do you feel?” “Pretty good,” I said. Then he says, “well hey, come work out with us!” I realized I had no excuse that would fly in on this occasion, so after running almost 4 miles in over an hour, I then underwent another hour of weight lifting and resistance training.

I remember just looking at the weights at some point during the workout because there was nothing in me that was saying I could do it. There he was in the background saying “Come on Louis Riley,” and in my sarcastic undertone I said, “yeah, yeah, yeah….” You see, its moments like this when you learn to appreciate how the mind controls the body. I had so many thoughts of I can’t running through my head, until it was slowing me down. I kept looking for a reason to accept the “I can’t” as my truth, but nothing would stick. I knew from a place deep inside that at least, it was possible…and if it is possible, then why not try. I pushed through fatigue and soreness and I completed the workout. I must admit, I would not have pushed myself as much if I were exercising alone. ‘

In every effort of success, we need to be certain we keep certain people around us who can see our lighter side and not settle for our darkeness. We all need someone in our circle who pushes us to become great. We need that someone who believes in us even when we may not believe in ourselves. I have a few people in my life who fit this description. I would supposed I am fortunate to have them. However, it sometimes takes a lot of swallowing my ego. As I state in the video associated with this entry, I have a rather high opinion of myself. When you tell me I can’t, I automatically think I can. When you doubt me, I want to prove you wrong. So when I hear criticism, like many, my first reaction is to push it aside because I feel like I am being attacked. However, I am built for success. I know that these people come from a sincere place. I listen to their opinions and I then allow it to run through my mental process so that I can pull the lessons I was supposed to learn.

Sometimes when we drop our ego, we will learn the it was standing in the way of what we really need in our lives….

Dreams Mean Work!

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Dreams Mean Work

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Two questions I learned from one of my professors in my Master’s Program:

1.  How am I doing?

2.  How am I really doing?

Ok, I think I can get to the real answer.  I’m tired.  Flat out tired.  I have been in 90+ degree heat for the past three days.  I help coach a baseball team that played in a tournament in Knoxville, TN this weekend.  I wasn’t able to get the type rest I needed on Monday.  However, I did get up on today and make my wayt to the gym.  I didn’t plan on exercising for two hours…it just happened!  Now my body is really feeling it.  I have twinge in my lower back that feels like it could turn into the all familiar nerve pinch.  However, I know a little trick that should keep that from happening.

My exercise routing for the day was challenging.  I know why as well.  I am still tired from this weekend.  I made a huge mistake by not getting enough rest.   No need to dwell  on it.  Stuff like this happens, especially when you are on the move.

Committing to exercise is hard enough.  When you’re not at home and around familiar people, places and things, you have to make your plans portable.   I always travel with my sneakers when I go out of town.  If I end up in a nice area, I  like to wake up and run.  Also, the exercise bands I use can easily pack up and go along with me wherever I go.   If I did hit a milestone, I’m too tired to have recognized it!

What about you?  Is your exercise routine portable?  Or can you only exercise if you are at the gym?  There’s no right or wrong here.  What works best is what works for you.  I’d love to hear about it!

Dreams Mean Work!

I hope that your journey to healthy weight loss is coming along well. I have just started my fourth week and I feel pretty good about myself. As mentioned in the video, one of the side effects of doing the right things is having other areas of your life affected by it. I don’t remember who said this, but the quote hold true: “the hard I work, the luckier I get!” I am a firm believer in this principle.

I realize that the weight gain I have experienced over the years really isn’t about weight at all. It’s about emotions and thought. The day we learn how to control our thoughts, we gain a better ability to control our emotions. For many, this isn’t new information. However, I have seen few who offer a way to control your thoughts. I came across just the thing that could very well help you do that. It’s called “The Master Key System.”

The Master Key System was among the first books to use the phrase Law of Attraction, which has become such a popular term today when referring to the most powerful force in the universe. It covers everything from how to create abundance and wealth to how to get healthy. It’s author, Charles F Haanel, leaves no stone unturned.

With precision, Haanel presents a step by step guide, along with exercised to increase your ability to control your thoughts. This book was banned by the Church in 1933 and has been hidden away for decades.

Rumor has it that while he was attending Harvard University, Bill Gates discovered and read The Master Key System. It was this book that inspired the future founder of Microsoft to drop out of the University and pursue his dream of “a computer on every desktop.” You probably know the results…

It is Silicon Valley’s secret that almost every entrepreneur who made a fortune in recent years did so by studying the words Mr. Haanel penned around 100 years ago! Almost every millionaire and billionaire in the Valley read The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel. Since this book was no longer in print until recently, copies of The Master Key System became a hot commodity in the Valley.

The book was also one of the major inspirations behind the hit movie known as “The Secret” and is now known to have inspired the writing of the world’s most famous success book Think And Grow Rich. It has once again been made available. For those of you who have read this far into my blog post, I have a treat for you. The original Master Key System is written in a very cryptic, old school type language that can be a challenging read for many. However, I own a copy of the audiobook narrated in modern day terms and easy to understand. Leave a comment below if you would like a copy.

Dreams mean work!

Today I hit a minor milestone in my healthy weight loss plan. Insignificant as it may seem, I was able to walk a mile without having to stop due to lower back pain. Now, I wish I could just go on and on about how good my back feels, but I can’t. There is a lot of pain involved here. I do my best to take my thoughts away from the pain and focus on other things.

That’s one of the reasons I exercise to music. Most times, it has a way of taking me to another place, if only for a few moments. Right now, that’s all I can ask for. Painful as it may be, I have been able to tap into the power of my subconscious to temporarily remove certain physical discomfort. Trust when I tell you that the day I learn how to block out a tooth-ache, I’m selling the rights to the highest bidder! For now though, I’ll just use my “powers” on me.

It’s starting to feel good to be active again. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that there is more work to be done. For the brief moment though, I am happy with what I have done so far. The road ahead is going to be long and bumpy, but hey, that’s what I’m built for!

I’ll be back with another post soon. I’m getting the hang of this blogging format and I hope to see it blossom. I’ve been studying and implementing several techniques to better help market and promote Lou Riley Live! Right now, it’s a one man movement. Let’s see if I can pick up a few friends along the way. I’d love to hear about your struggles with healthy weight loss as I will continue to share mine. Be sure to leave a comment below.

Dreams mean work,

I’m about 30 minutes removed from my first workout at the time of this blog post. Over the weekend, I got a phone call from a very good friend of mine, Morris Jamison, who is a personal trainer gym owner at Marathon Fitness in Nashville, TN. I’ll make a long story short and just say that by the end of our conversation, he found a way to get my competitive juices going by challenging me to six months of exercise that would conclude with running a 1/2 marathon. I accepted.

You see, I have run five 1/2 marathons over the past several years. However, recently my exercise routine has gone straight to hell. I’ve had a few runs at it, where I would lose 15-20 lbs, but then I’d fall right back into the abyss. I always found a way to convince myself that it wasn’t as bad as it really was. I had me thinking that I could just hit the switch and out would jump this uber healthy version of me that would champion all of my bad habits and get the world spinning on its axis again. Strangely enough though, that guy hasn’t shown up. So now, its up to me to undo the damage that I have done.

Today was the first workout of this challenge consisting of:

1-mile walk (22 minutes today)
3 x 25 Standing Bench Press
3 x 10 Alternating Over Shoulder Pulls
3 x 15 Lat/ Trunk twists
3 x 15 Squats with band around waist.

A friend and mentor of mine turned me on to the resistance bands. After one workout with them, I really think I’m on to something. I felt the burn, but did not have the stress of hold weights in my hands. This is a great thing for me as I have grown to hat the clanking sound of weights. Time will tell though as its always easy coming out of the gate. Stay with me. This could turn out to be on heck of a ride!

Dreams mean work,

p.s.  Yes, my lower back was on fire to day from my first step into the mile run, until the very end of the workout!