Who did it?

Once upon a time, there were four people; their names were Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody.  

Whenever there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do "it".  Anybody could have done "it", but Nobody did "it".

When Nobody did "it", Everybody got angry because "it" was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Somebody would do "it", but Nobody realized that Nobody would do "it".  So consequently, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.

Michael Jordan once said, "I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot. Why? Because when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.  Some people get frozen by that fear of failure. They get it from peers or from just thinking about the possibility of a negative result. They might be afraid of looking bad or being embarrassed.  I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it. I don't believe you can achieve anything by being passive.  I'm not thinking about anything except what I'm trying to accomplish. Any fear is an illusion.  You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there.  What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success.  If it turns out my best isn't good enough, then at least I'll never be able to look back and say I was too afraid to try.  Failure always made me try harder the next time."

Maybe that's where the "Just do it" slogan came from.....?  I've learned that there are do-ers and don't-ers, everyone falls into either category, you either do something or you don't.  Some make excuses why they can't or won't, but in reality if you don't do "it" "it's" just not that important to you, anything is possible, "it" just takes time; don't believe me... spend 10,000 hours practicing or doing "it" or doing things to get you better and I bet you will have success. 

See for yourself, Google "10,000 hour rule" and you will see.....

How important is "it" to you?

Regards,
Greg



Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

What a Jackass!!!!

Are you a Jackass?  I know you can surely be one!

I hope you are, I am……

no, not this kind.......

this kind.

Once upon a time there were these two farmers, one day they were looking in the horse barn at an old mule named Fred they had used for plowing over the years.  One farmer said to the other, “man that old Jackass ain’t no good anymore, we need to get rid of him.”  So they decided to get rid of that old mule; they took it out to an empty part of the field and dug a big hole, pushed him in and started filling in the hole.  As you can imagine Fred was freaking out because he knew he was going to be buried alive.  Every shovel of dirt landed on that old mules back, weighing him down as well as it started to fill up the hole; yes, the mule was being buried alive.  But then, just like it has done over the years, the old mule started to devise a strategy, and as usual, Fred came up with a plan.  The old mule put his age and wisdom to use, it figured out that with every shovel of dirt that hit him he would just shake it off and let the dirt fall to the ground and step up on it.  With every shovel of dirt came another shake and another step, and another shake and another step, soon the strategy worked, the old mule was standing at the top of the hole, stepped out and walked away……

As the old mule walked away it turned to the men and said, "Who’s the Jackass now?" (Yes, Fred the mule could talk, didn't you ever hear of a talking mule? - it's Mr. Ed's cousin)

Too many people today forget that they can always shake it off, step up and move forward.  So, the next time there is dirt thrown on your back, shake it off, step up and move forward.

Remember, anything is possible, yes anything, it just takes time!

Regards,
Greg




Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

I've Got 99 Problems....and it's not fitness related.

I've got 99 problems...... !

For most, especially the you younger ones you may immediately think of Jay-Z and his 99 Problems song.... "If you're having girl problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a ........." but in this case it's a different song.

It's a Greg-D song!  "If you're having life problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but I changed my outlook and attitude and I've won!"

A lot of people complain, a lot of people blame others, a lot of people want a short cut, a lot of people forget that life takes work; and a lot are not willing to put in the effort for what they want, so they complain, point fingers and blame others.  Over the years, I have sat in on as well as given many presentation; on fitness, on management, on motivation and other topics.  I also am a big reader, I always have a book with me that helps "educate" me, and by education I mean teaching me and helping me do something, get better at something or simply remind me of what I have forgotten.  People ask me what I read and who my favorite author is, but I really don't have one, there are way to many great ones and everyone has their own style and story to tell.  But if I had to narrow it down, I'd say my John Wooden books are up there, and my Daniel Coyle books are up there as well.  With this wisdom I have gained over the years there have been a bunch of "constants"  that I always seem to run across from these successful people, these "constants" show up in almost every book and presentation.  They are my 99 problems - "constants" that I feel today we fail to do and we neglect everyday.  I've gone through my notes, endless pages and reviewed my presentations and listed 99 "constants" that we all should review and remember!
After you read this take a second to print it, then go through the list and write down next to each line if you are doing this and when the last occurrence was, I bet you won't use much ink but I hope you do.  So challenge yourself to use a lot of ink, everyday!

These 99 words apply to EVERYTHING, EVERYDAY, IN EVERY situation!  Do these as much as possible and you too will be a music mogul and you can sing, "I've got 99 problems eliminated".

Show up.
Pay attention.
Ask questions.
Less talk.
More action.
Help others.
Keep smiling.
Remember birthdays.
Be prepared.
Work hard.
Work smart.
Play hard.
Buckle up.
Be kind.
Keep learning.
Call home.
Avoid addictions.
Take risks.
Be careful.
Work out.
Don’t cheat.
Spend less.
Save more.
Laugh more.
Worry less.
Be patient.
Take breaks.
Be true to yourself.
Stay curious.
Stop whining.
Say, “Thanks.”
Be trustworthy.
Trust others.
Accept challenges.
Challenge assumptions.
Don’t smoke.
Be punctual.
Eat healthy.
Listen carefully.
Plan ahead.
Correct mistakes.
Avoid perfectionism.
Stay focused.
Follow through.
Create memories.
Inspire others.
No excuses.
Don’t procrastinate.
Don’t quit.
Love.

Someone recently asked my if I make money on my blogs and if I don't why do I do them..... No to the first part, and as #11 and 12 go from the constants above, I also consider myself as one of the "others."

All the best,
Greg



Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

How to Get Rid of Cellulite

Today let's talk a little about cellulite.  aka “Cottage Cheese."  Cottage Cheese: Good when it’s a late-night snack - Bad when it’s in your legs.

 

Bad vs. Good

 

We all know that your diet determines your body, and the biggest effect your exercise will have on fat loss is to increase your Calories OUT..

But still, I’ve seen girls go harder than Bruce Willis and still have cottage cheese in their legs......

So here are some tips..

If you’re doing everything right, and you still have those goosebumps on the backside, then maybe you want to follow my plan…..

FIRST -> Know that 99% of all men still love you. Men love legs like fast cars, motorcycles, steak and leather jackets!  And prob in that order too!  (I'm sorry for you if you have that 1%'er...)

SECOND -> Think about maybe taking caffeine pre-workout.  But only if you’re lifting heavy and taxing your muscle.  In other words, only if you’re actually going to use the extra energy it gives you.  Then the caffeine will use your fat storage for energy (instead of carbs or muscle)

THIRD -> Arch your back, squeeze your butt, and lift heavy on Squats, Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlifts, Step Ups, and Glute Bridges and lift heavy, and lift heavy and finally lift heavy.  These are pure Straight Up Booty exercises, and they all focus on the hip extension.

 

FOURTH -> Fats over Carbs.

You’ll always want more carbs than you need.... so eat fats instead.  Low-carb environments are ideal for fat loss as insulin is low.  The quickest way to get fat is to overload on carbs. I guarantee if you eat no more than 75 grams of Carbs per day for the next 2 weeks you'll be leaner.  Just don't stick with it for too long or you'll lose muscle in the process.

FIFTH -> Eat phytoestrogen.

These are found in leafy greens.. like Kale, Spinach, Broccoli, Asparagus.  And they ‘stick’ to your estrogens and push them out of your body (remember, testosterone builds muscle and burns fat.. estrogen does the opposite).

Veggies all day. Eat them all day long.  And chew them thoroughly.  Then sing the veggie song, to the beat of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long”: “Love you. Touch you. All day long. Baby. Give me those veggies! All day long..”

SIXTH -> Don’t even THINK about lipo.

You can’t ‘spot reduce’ fat. Fat loss always happens over your entire body.. and the fat loss process starts at different places for everyone.  (some people lose fat in their stomach first, some in their face, it’s just how it is.. and nothing to worry about)….and no that 3 payments of $19.95 cream does not work.

Just realize that the only way to spot reduce fat is through lipo. And that’s a quick fix.  And you don’t do quick fixes. Oprah does. And she, looks……. yeah.

SEVENTH -> Take Amino's

Take amino acids in supplement form either in between meals, or before you start working out.  Amino Acids are like marriage counselors.. they keep things intact.  In this case, your muscle.  When you're on a calorie deficit to burn the fat, you'll lose muscle.. unless you lift heavy, get your proteins, and take amino's.

I'll leave it with these 7 tips for now. If you have any questions just get back to me. I'm very busy at the moment with all this SPRINTING stuff going on, but I'll do my best to get back to you asap.

Lift Heavy and eat. Get that sweet potato that you deserve, do your sprints, and lift more than anyone would ever expect of you!

Yours in health,

Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
Lakeside Fitness Center
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

3 questions for you..

The other day I had a consultation with a potential client and as usual, nutrition came up, and she showed me her entire week of food journals.

The good part was that she was very honest and wrote EVERYTHING down she had eaten…

... the bad part was that there was nothing healthy on there. I’m talking pizza, hot pockets, beer, coffee, cinnamon buns, chimichangas, etc, etc. So I advised her what to do to get on track, and kept it nice and simple for her to make it easy to take the next step.

Then I asked her if she had any questions.. and she started asking me really “advanced stuff”.. (that was sarcastic…)

“Should I go for grass-fed beef instead of regular beef?”

“When should I take my chia seeds?”

“What do you think of the lemon cleanse?”

“Which fat burner do you recommend?”

.. and other questions like that. And to me this didn’t make any sense at all.  I looked at her amazed and shocked, then I politely said, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME OR ARE YOU NUTS?”  I was serious! (and oh yeah, thats a plug for my book - let me know if you want a free copy)

We just went over a program and no where did we discuss anything she had asked me!  I started looking around for the camera crew because I felt like I was being “Punk’d” or for us old timers, maybe even on “Candid Camera.”  I was ready to grab a barbell and my leather jacket so I would look cool on TV!!!

Because, if you don’t even have the basics right, how can you step to the next level?  So I told her what I’m about to tell you:

You HAVE to know where you currently are in order to know what to do next.  What I mean is.. if right now you are not eating vegetables every single day, then my advice is simple:

Start eating vegetables.

I don’t CARE if they’re organic or not. The most important thing you can do is actually eat them.  Just like working out, the most important thing is to start - no matter what you do, the universe will reward your DECISION to take action.  I learned something a long time ago and it goes like this:  “it’s the START that STOPS you,” think about that.  Most of us stop something before we start it, because “it is too hard” or “it is too difficult” or “I’ll never do that for that long”…. And more BS excuses like that.  For Pete’s sake, just try it, just START something and you will see you can do it.  You will see that after “Day 1” it’s easy, just repeat “Day 1” on “Day 2” and so on…..

So, eat vegetables for 21 days straight.. make it a habit.. THEN we can start talking about the "next level" stuff.

Know what I mean?

Get the basics down first.

So with that said, here’s a little audit you can do right now for yourself to see where you are.

I’m going to ask you 3 simple questions, and if you can answer

“yes” to all three, then you have a foundation..

-1- Do you get at least 2 servings of vegetables EVERY single day?

-2- Do you drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water EVERY single day? (even if you eat 100% perfect, nothing matters if you’re dehydrated)

-3- Do you do some type of exercise EVERY single day? (anything at all-even a walk)

If you answered ‘yes’ to all three questions, then that's awesome. If you didn’t, then just remember....

“It’s never too late to become what you might have been”

(one of my favorite quotes)

Take it one step at a time. Skip the ‘shiny objects’ that you see in the media and just keep it simple :)

Hope this made sense!

Yours in health,
Greg


Greg DiRenzo, PhD
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"