Simply Fit

The simplicity of fitness

  Through out my career as a fitness professional I have chuckled (under my breath) at all the silly excuses as to why people shy away from living a healthy life. I have heard anything from the standard "I don't have time" to "My spouse won't let me" or my all time favorite "I don't want to hurt myself". I know a lot of people over time have justified sitting on the couch by muttering these very phrases at one point or another. But, lets get back to basics and talk about the human body. I am still amazed at it's incredible capability  After all we are a functional being that never stops moving even at rest. We even have the capability to regenerate cells and repair our bodies. Then when we do repair ourselves we actually make ourselves stronger and prepared for more stress or work. I will admit that there is a fine line of just enough work and too much work. For each person this is very different and the only true way to find out if you are working too hard is to experience it. Before we talk about over training let's discuss the whole purpose of this article and that is to just get you moving. That is where it all starts, by just simply moving the body. Here are a few quick tips to get started.

• Walk up a flight of stairs then turn around and walk back up again
• Lay down on the floor front or back then get back up into a standing position (in front of the television is optional)
• Park as a far away from your destination as possible, the walk will help you think about your breathing
• Stretch your beautiful muscles when you get out of bed in the morning
• Stand up from sitting in a chair 5 times while drinking your coffee and checking e-mail
• Most important keep searching for the things that your body is capable of doing. So often we live in fear of injury we hold ourselves back from doing what our bodies really want and that is to keep moving so we can continue to regenerate cells and defy the affects of aging.

Get out and play!

Hello my name is Jeff Bass, Achieving Total Fitness started one day while climbing a steep and rocky path both literally and figuratively. I suddenly realized that my life was seriously out of balance and if I didn't make some positive changes I would never be healthy, let alone happy. In all my travels I have been very fortunate to learn some incredible techniques that help make life a little easier. Living in balance is easy; the hard part is getting it back once it is gone. I look forward to sharing these fascinating techniques with you as you continue along your steep and rocky path towards greatness. "Life is an adventure... ... are you prepared?"   "Every moral has a story, every story has an end. Every battle has it's glory and consequence" Ben Harper~Glory and Consequence   Everyday as a Fitness Trainer/Coach/Adventure Guide, I deal with people who face challenges. Big challenges! Career, Family,Life and Health. What can I say, life happens and all we are really required to do is start life, end life, pay taxes and at some point fly through Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport on our way to some place like Detroit. What we do with the time in between is all up to us. Ultimately, we make the choices that determine the course of our lives. We also have the power to make a conscious effort that determines the quality of those choices.                                    "We have a choice: either Love or Fear" So as you begin the amazing battle of understanding yourself, please know that everyday is a challenge. We all experience setbacks. It's what you do with those challenges that determines the course of your life. As we begin to look forward to the springtime of life, what are you going to do: Love or Fear that new fitness program? Are you going to set some new goals that will challenge you while inspiring others to pursue their own path towards greatness? If you don't, who will? "The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly colored and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: "Is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." Bill Hicks

Energy In Energy Out~It's that simple!   Or so it should be... Let's face it: food is something we all need in order to sustain life. Without it we simply would waste away to nothing! Yet, we have this amazing relationship with food. It is creative, sensuous, even sexy to some! We dream about it, crave it, and find so much comfort in it. So what is a human body to do? If you don't eat you become an irritable mess, and if you eat too much you increase adipose tissue(Body fat). Where is the Balance?  As a fitness trainer it is the biggest challenge I experience with my clients. First, food is a very personal experience. Everyone has preferences, things they love, like, and won't even think about touching. So trying to tell someone what and how they should eat can turn quite volatile quickly. Also, food allergies are becoming more predominate in our society and most people are not even aware of them. Fatigue is often blamed on stress.The food you are eating should be giving you enough energy to push through the fatigue.This won't happen, especially if your body does not like or can not assimilate the nutrients you are ingesting. It uses more energy to get rid of the bad stuff. I speak from experience. I  have been dealing with food allergies for over 12 years. Five of which I was clueless and in extreme pain. Three more were spent trying to figure it out. During that time I adopted more of a philosophy and relationship with food. Simply put...FOOD IS FUEL! Once I was able to figure out what my body liked and didn't like, I was able to maximize human performance and live life to the fullest with unlimited energy. So, Why do you eat?  What is your relationship with food? What kind of fuel are you putting in to your body? These questions get overlooked everyday because they interfere with our basic survival instinct. We are designed to constantly fuel our systems, especially whenever food is present. So our impulses become understandable, especially since we are inundated  with food wherever we go. So I challenge you to really take a look at how much fuel you are putting in to your body. Is it proportional to the amount of energy your are expending? Also, what are you fueling your system with? Are you eating whole foods? In my current research and personal experience the difference between success and failure is not how much you are eating, but WHAT you are eating. Nutrition is an ongoing challenge for all of us. Hang in there! As we continue this adventure we will explore some interesting things about creating balance with your nutrition. The first step is understanding. Once we understand, then we can take proper action Push, Pull, Run, Jump The Essence of Functional Fitness Think back to grammar school. Wasn't the most liberating experience of the school day recess? That moment when you could go outside play with your friends, yell, scream, run and jump. Whatever happened to that? Now our butts are stuck in seats under florescent lights buried deep in some office leashed to a computer. Basically put, we stopped playing. Well, I am bringing recess back with a vengeance! I bet you were in the best shape of your life when you 12 years old. You played, danced, ran, jumped and screamed at the top of your lungs like no one was watching without a care in the world. Now that the New Years resolutions have gone to the way side and everyone is re-evaluating their swimsuit goals for summer, I challenge you to really think about your fitness program. Are you finding success in what you are currently doing? Here are few things to think about while you consider getting out and playing more this year. Are you enjoying yourself? If you are having fun you will look forward to the activity..."I can do anything as long as it is fun!" Have you set attainable goals? Climbing a mountain is a great goal to have. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. Anyone can do it but, you have to be realistic. Have you mastered breathing yet? Great place to start... go without it for a few minutes and see how important it is... Have you set yourself up for success? Find a way to support yourself either through a coach, mentor, trainer or even just a journal. All are proven methods to help keep you focused, but most of all accountable.  As fitness trainer, human performance is my passion. Once you understand the machine you can fine tune it and maximize performance. Sure you may not want to climb a mountain with me. But, wouldn't it be amazing if you had more energy?In the upcoming newsletter I will be touching on some incredible ways to maximize your human performance...for now!  Get out and play! You'll thank me later

Mission: To create unique experiences that help change peoples lives Thank you so much for taking the time to read my newsletter and supporting my mission. I hope in some way it helps set you up for success as you continue to walk along your path towards greatness! Train like your life depends on it...you never know it just might... Be adventurous, Jeff Bass

You are your thoughts....

"Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world" The Grateful Dead   There is no better time than right NOW to start making simple changes in your life. Sure we can do things like recycle refuse, use less gasoline, even just turning off the lights help save the planet. What I am asking  you to start doing is actually a real challenge. Change your thoughts! The way we think creates our world, it motivates us to do the things we do. Well, let's take a moment and really analyze our thoughts. Then we can begin the change. Something tells me you are already thinking about the things you DON"T want in your life as apposed to all the wonderful things you do want.

You are your thoughts   Who do you talk to the most? This is one of my favorite questions of all time. It never stops getting people to actually think for a minute. The wheels turn then it dawns on them. the answer is YOU! You talk to yourself all day long. You have amazing conversations with yourself and because you do it all day long over time we tend to take this powerful way of communicating for granted. After all it's that crazy voice that keeps me going doing all the stuff I have to do all day long. Well, now that you are aware of these wonderful conversations. I hope you tune in to those conversations a little bit closer you just might learn a little about why you are where you are. Plus, if you say you CAN'T guess what you probably WON"T Secrets of the Millionaire Mind  The Law of Attraction "The Law of Attraction takes the principal "Like Attracts Like" and applies it to conscious desire. That is, a person's thoughts, emotions, and beliefs cause a change in the physical world that attracts positive or negative experiences that correspond to the aforementioned thoughts, with or without the person taking action to attain such experiences. This process has been described as "harmonious vibrations of the law of attraction" From Wikipedia It is all about Frequencies A few years a go I decided to take course that would certify me as an indoor cycling instructor. Which many people have come to know and love as "spinning" or aka "spin class"  At first I wasn't sure if I would ever want to teach such a class. Riding a bike indoors? It sounded like an oxymoron much like"Military Intelligence" or "Jumbo Shrimp" I thought bikes were meant for outdoor activity. A fun way to explore terrain while getting a great workout. Since not every area allows for such a great form of activity I now see the need for such an experince. I also would soon learn so much about how something as simple as music could and would have such a huge impact on setting a frequency and either making or breaking an experince. Based on the laws of Quantum Physics we mirrior  and match the frequency of the prodominate sounds we are listing to. In my own personal experince I find that the type of music I am listening to has a huge impact on so many factors in my life. I am sure we all have similar experinces. Sound therapists are even doing studies on music and health and well being. So what are you listening to and why? So often we listen to the music that helps capture an emotion or even tap in to some key memories. A time, a place, a person or just an experince. It's a great tool to helps us tap in to something that is deep withion our subconcious and often times larger than even ourselves. Basically put it is energy and very potent energy at that. When I was teaching my spin classes my approach to teaching was that of "training the brain" My goal was to create an experience rather than just play music people could relate to. My music is very different and not recognizable by most. I prefer to use live recorded music that is fun playful and very long, sometimes extending a song as long as 20 minutes. At first most people are resistant to this type of approach. It's easy to zone out and remember what was by relating to the music. The goal is to tap in to what is and stay present in the moment and build a stronger relationship with who you are what you are capable of. So I ask you what are you listening to? The answer may help change your life! So take some time and really listen. What does your music say about you? You never know changing your play list could change the quality of your workouts, set a new tone for the day or just inspire you to keep striving for greatness! The Secret