MORE THAN AN ATHLETE

On March 12, 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) made a powerful decision to suspend the season as a response to the potential dangers of the pandemic, COVID-19. What followed: the National Hockey League (NHL) suspended their season 10 games away from the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; the NCAA decided to cancel the remaining conference tournaments and “March Madness,” the NCAA Basketball Tournament, for both men and women; and the NCAA canceled all remaining practices and games for all male and female spring sports. From this point, the practices and games from youth athletics to professional sports would come to an abrupt halt internationally. No one has ever experienced such a complete shut down like this in all sports congruently. Now, of course, in the wake of a viral spread, the stoppage of practice and play is the best thing to do for the overall health and wellbeing of society. As a performance coach, trainer and former athlete, all I could say is, “WOW!” 

Many of the greatest lessons that are learned, arise from adverse situations. Greatness may be found in difficulty, yet, on the other side of that difficulty is a tremendous lesson. So, as a coach, trainer, teacher, and leader of people, I have sought to look past our current circumstance for this lesson; seeking, for some time for the exact message I wished to share. And, I have come to the conclusion that this lesson is something I have been teaching to student-athletes for over 30 years: you're here to do more than just play sport. To every athlete, regardless of age, you are here to impact your own life, your family, and your community positively with the use of all of your God-given talents.

For most athletes, their ultimate goal is to earn a college scholarship and then continue to play many years professionally. Unfortunately, many student-athletes' careers end just shy of their dreams. The actual number of student-athletes who will have the opportunity to fulfill the dream of playing professionally is infinitesimally small. And, even for those select few who do and will make it to the professional level, their careers will also, one day, come to an end, when the average career length in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS (Major League Soccer) is 3.3 yrs, 4.8 yrs, 5.6 yrs, 5.0 yrs, and 2.5 yrs respectively. Today, no average career length for athletes in the most popular leagues extends beyond six years. And so when that time comes, when playing sport comes to an end, whether it's in high school, college, or at the professional level, the athlete will not only be young in age, but he or she will have to answer the question of, “what’s next?”  

Amidst a global pandemic, this current state of sports gives the student-athlete an early glimpse into life where he is unable to participate in the sport he loves. However, this down-time permits him or her to explore their other interests outside of athletics. These other interests may possibly give the athlete similar or more satisfaction than the sport has! 

Here is the guidance that I would like to offer to a student athlete. 

1. You, young person, are born great, and your life, from here on, is simply about fulfilling your greatest potential. The amazing thing is that you get to choose how you want to express your greatness. Possessing unlimited potential means, wherever or whatever you give your focused energy towards will bring success. Your thinking is where everything begins for you. Do you see yourself only as an athlete or do you see yourself as more? Everything gets created twice, once in the mind and then in reality. So create your life first in your imagination. See yourself being more than just an athlete. Remember that you are unlimited, because your imagination is unlimited. Think big and be big.

2. Next, ask yourself often, “What am I interested in doing/becoming?” A way of answering this question is by thinking of all the things that you have questioned. When you're curious, you seek answers, and seeking answers requires information. Obtaining information, provides you knowledge and knowledge gives you understanding. With increased understanding, you have more tools to make clear choices in regards to your life. Seek and you shall find!

3. Be creative! Just because something hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Always respond to your inner thoughts positively. These are ideas that can be acted upon and lead you to incredible destinations. Creativity is very important, because it represents how you see yourself and the world around you. It takes courage to be your true self, but it will result ultimately in your joy!

4. Be of service to others. When you make the choice to help someone, you become a greater part of the world around you. This is an important concept to grasp because ultimately all human beings are here to fulfill their purpose. When you start understanding how you want to contribute to mankind, it leads you to interesting people and places. Experiencing new surroundings will both enhance your understanding of self and lead you to more choices that will give you joy! 

5. Lastly, do the things that bring you joy, and I’m not talking about a temporary feeling of happiness. I’m talking about something that makes you jump out of bed everyday. Something that gives you the great feeling of accomplishment. When you experience the feeling of joy, you know that you’ve connected your life energy towards something that is connected to everyone. You are also willing to overcome adversity because you know that what you’re feeling and doing is connected to the Universal Power. Now you realize that you are more than an athlete!

Today, I say to every young athlete, now is your time to truly look inward and ask yourself the questions posed above and take action. I guarantee that the answer to these questions will lead you to incredible places where you will be able to express your gifts for your lifetime. Retain the passion that fueled your love of sport; maintain your work ethic and strive for greatness--but remember that you are more than just an athlete.

CREATING A NEW LIFESTYLE OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Take these 5 Steps

The best way to make a change is to find the tools that are right for you! 

As we transition from year to year, we create new goals, and identify the things that we want to do differently. Let’s begin a cycle of creating the new habits that will make us better. We do this by changing the way we perceive time, from a yearly focus to a series of mini cycles.

All of our experiences, prior to this very moment, are the result of our old thoughts and habits.  So how do we create new and better thoughts and habits? We put ourselves on a 21-day cycle and concentrate on Five Transformative Steps. After 21 days we will create a new lifestyle. 

THE 21-DAY CYCLE:

Twenty-one Days refers to 21 consistent days within your chosen fitness Plan. Do something!  We are not referring to 21 days of working out back-to-back each day. In addition, we are not referring to 21 consecutive calendar days.  For instance, if you commit to working out three times a week, a 21-day plan would span a 7-week period (i.e. 3 days per week, times 7 weeks, equals a 21-day workout.) After 21 days, we create a new habit. Many times, individuals will try to get their 21 days in a row, but that is sometimes unachievable. It may actually be too much activity, especially when the individual has not been exercising, or hasn’t been involved in any exercise plan. Without proper guidance and pacing, the individual may find that they feel too overwhelmed and stop working out altogether.

Slow and steady wins the race. We sometimes try to take on too much too soon. We throw out ALL of the bad foods in of our refrigerators and begin a workout regimen of running in the morning, lifting weights in the evening, and reducing our eating to one salad a day! Know this, a healthy lifestyle of fitness and nutrition is a lifetime effort. We want lifestyle changes, so take the pressure off of yourself.  Relax, and develop a consistent plan for making changes in your personal life.  Take one step at a time by committing to something very simple, like walking 30 minutes a day, three times a week.  After a few weeks, you can re-evaluate and you may want to increase the walk to 45 minutes or do something different. When starting out, keep it simple.

5 TRANSFORMATIVE STEPS:

Step 1 - in this moment, choose, no, decide, that wellness and good health are a priority for you. 

Step 2 - make a commitment.  Make a pledge or promise to yourself that you are going to do something. 

Step 3 - you must have belief.  We have to believe that what we are doing, as far as our exercise and our wellness, will lead us to success. It will benefit us.  It will give us results.  But we have to believe that we are capable of reaching our specific goals.

Step 4 - Get it done and keep going!  No excuses!  We have a tendency to wake up some mornings and say, “You know, I don’t feel like it today.”  Sometimes, it’s not about how you feel, it’s about your commitment and your purpose.  So get up and get it done.  Make no excuses.

Remember, a 21-day cycle creates a new habit. If you’re committed to walking three times a week, you’re looking at making a seven-week commitment to yourself.  After seven weeks of dedication to yourself and your fitness plan, you will see results.  Now we have reached the fifth and final component. 

Step 5 - Re-calibrate, step it up. This is the time to re-calibrate or re-evaluate your progress and start creating more specific goals to reach.  You’re now in the habit of making wellness a commitment, and you’re doing it.  Now, you might pledge to lose 10 pounds and you can create a plan for this process with the same four concepts described above: choosing, being committed, believing and doing.

The process above, allows you to perform in a cyclical manner.  There is no before and there is no after. There is only right now! Time is not an issue.  Let 21 Days to Ultimate Health and Wellness assist you with your lifestyle change. You’ll be working with yourself for the rest of your life, and with the Transformative Steps above; your only option is success!

LET THEM PLAY

Take the pressure off Young Student Athletes

One Saturday morning during football season, I attended a pop Warner football game for boys that were 8, 9 and 10-year-olds and what I saw did not remind me, at all, of the way I played sports as a child. The first thing that struck me were the uniforms. These young players were playing in professional pro-logo uniforms. They looked like little professional athletes. I then noticed that there were about six coaches for each team of 25 players. The stands were filled with parents, friends and other teams that would play later that day. So, there may have been at least 1000 people in the stands. Now, let's discuss the game! The play of each of the teams was exceptional. Each team executed intricate plays on offense and defense. The score was close and both teams were competing to win. It was amazing to watch the focus and the talent of these young superstars. However, as I marveled at the incredible play and the display of skill and precision from the youthful 8 to 10-year-olds, I couldn't help but notice the intensity of the adult involvement from the field to the stands.

Beginning with the coaches; they yelled instructions and actually criticized the players of their team during plays. It was unforgiving how these coaches made each play matter so much. Then, I allowed my attention to drift to what was happening in the stands. The importance that was being put on each play became even more apparent. The parents and adults yelled at theplayers about their performance. They expressed displeasure with the coaching and play calls as well as the performance of the referees. I would describe this as intense pressure. Unfortunately, regardless of the brilliant play of each team, one team would lose and the other would win. After the final tick of the game clock as with most sports, one team leaves in celebration as the other team walks off the field in disappointment. During this time of very mixed emotions, the intense pressure in the stands did not subside. Not only did the significant amount of criticism for the coaches and the referees increase, but criticism of the play of the 8, 9 and 10-year-old players continued as well. For a moment, it seemed as though neither team had won the game.

Instead of the players being the focal point of the game, it was the audience that took center stage. This made me think about how all athletes today are forced to endure fans in order to play the sport they love. The people watching, the fans, now play such a major role in the experience of the athlete. I would include social media as another form of criticism that each player must endure. The critique can be positive or negative, but each will affect the youth athlete adversely.

When young athletes are being critiqued by the audience at early ages, they will have a tendency to play the sport to please the observers/audience, the coach, parents, and onlookers. If the young athlete perceives that they have not pleased the onlooker, they feel that they have not done their job. The athlete no longer plays the sport for personal joy, but to bring joy to the audience. If the audience does not find joy, then the young athlete perceives he is a failure. 

A Father's 3 Gifts

I remember the moment my wife gave birth to our first child. It was a moment of great celebration and dreams fulfilled. The beautiful blessing of a child ignites a feeling inside of you that is life-changing. The change inside manifests itself into a personal declaration, that we will give more to our child than we had in our early life. This is a beautiful moment when most men begin to move and act from an unselfish place. We start working extremely hard for our new child that means so much. We want our child to be happy and smile so, we shower them with gifts and we buy them things. Hey Dads, this behavior of buying is OK, but there are bigger gifts that you can give your child and the only cost is your time and your presence.

The first gift that you can give your child is the gift of experience. Our children don't learn from what you tell them, they learn best from what they see! Exposure to the vast wonders of the world will broaden the spectrum of their own self image. So Dads take your child to the park, to the beach to the museum to sporting events. Take them to dinner, take them to the bookstore, take them to any place that interests them and you. Take them places that will broaden their view of the world in which they live. As you expose them to these new things, ask them questions about their likes and dislikes. Your interest in their opinions demonstrates that their opinions are valued. They matter. Then encourage them to seek additional information in the areas that they find interesting.

Don't stop there, read to them. Take them to the library. There you can watch as their imagination soars. Draw with them, write with them, help them put their great ideas on paper. Travel with them, let them experience life from other perspectives. As they get older, they not only grow in confidence, but they grow in the appreciation of their own gifts in life.

Secondly, give them the gift of support. When you support your child you are telling them that you will be there for them, encouraging them to do their best and to be their best. You are celebrating their effort, their best effort, in everything they do. You are encouraging and supporting them to make their decision based on their happiness and what they believe to be right. Our children need to know that their life is their own and they can never get it wrong if they continue to pursue life at their very best. Success is defined individually and our job is to support them as they define their own success. Support is simply celebrating every step of their journey and encouraging them to never give up on the pursuit of their vision. Simply, we want them to know that they are born great and their greatness is fulfilled through their own choices.

Third and finally, we want to give our children the gift of service. They should know that there is a divine power that lives inside of them and inside of all humanity. That power is love and it must be shared with the world. When we live in love, our child knows he/she is loved, and we help the child to develop the power of the love that they carry inside. When love is acknowledged and expressed, there is a feeling of appreciation. Giving and showing appreciation humbles one to the power you are given and this power can be used to bring light into darkness. We are not telling them they have to save the world, but we are teaching them to be the change that they want to see in the world. This can be represented by a simple gesture of saying “hello,” in a greeting or, “have a nice day,” in departure. You are helping them understand that they are God's child. Life isn't so much about what you're given, it's about what you give. This connected awareness empowers them individually, their families, their culture, their community and the world.

Dads, let's celebrate and honor our place as fathers by giving our children these three important gifts. The toys will break and the designer clothes will get old and fade, but the gift of experience, support and service will last a lifetime.

Sugar

Today’s Ultimate Transformation Moment seeks to educate on a major component that can over time, tend to drain our human body systems. Today, we focus on sugar.

First of all, good sugar does provide energy to the body system. The body will take the sugar and use it as fuel.  However, there are good sugars and bad sugars. 

Three types of bad sugar are: Sucrose, which is basically table sugar; Dextrose, you’ll see as corn sugar; and High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is in a majority of all of our foods, from the breakfast cereal, bread, pasta, butter, ketchup, etc. Bad sugars are void of nutrients.

When we take in an abundant amount of sugar, the body is thrown out of equilibrium and it tries to right itself.  The pancreas begins to secrete insulin, which helps lower the sugar level, and allow the body to continue to function.  Over time, as the body continually pumps insulin to bring the sugar levels down, the body starts to react negatively.  The blood itself becomes thicker, and adds more pressure of the blood flow into the heart.  This may lead to the development of heart disease. 

Although sugar is used to create energy, bad sugar robs the body’s system of existing nutrients. Sucrose, Dextrose, and Fructose, which are considered bad sugars, get into the body system and offer nothing to the body.  So, the body has to take from its system and try to move/process the sugars.  While the body is busy developing the insulin to regulate the sugar, it cannot focus on processing the sugars at the same time. The body decides to store the sugar in the body system as fat. 

Here’s what most people don’t understand: sugar, enters the body system, and is recognized like Vitamin C.  Vitamin C helps to build the immune system. Unfortunately, as additional sugar enters the body, the body focuses on attempting to process the sugar, and ignores the Vitamin C.  Now, the immune system begins to drop and you become more susceptible to greater disease, like Cancer. The sugar gets stored as fat, and Cancer feeds off the stored sugar. Since the immune system is not being strengthened by the Vitamin C, which one grows?  The disease.

Sugar is also high in calories. If we’re trying to lose weight sugar brings many calories to your daily food intake.  The more calories that are ingested, the slower the body metabolizes the food. The blood thickens, and the body starts to slow down, and we begin to experience problems.

Soda provides an example of this scenario.  One can of soda is about 150 calories but it’s also equal in sugar.  That makes 150 calories or basically 150 milligrams of pure sugar. If you drink one can of soda everyday for one year, this equals 54,750 calories.  What is one pound of body weight equal to? three thousand, five hundred calories. So, just with one can of soda consistently in your body everyday, you can potentially put on 15.6 lb.

If you can imagine gaining 15.6 lbs every year, it becomes clearer to understand to how we have become an obese nation.

On the other hand, good sugar or Glucose, is found in fruits and vegetables.  The reason they’re good is because they enter the body system slow and the body is able to process them in a natural form. These good sugars from fruits and vegetables offer the body fast, available energy.  They have vitamins and minerals in them, which means they bring something to the cellular system to help make it stronger.  That’s what makes it a good sugar.  The body is made up of cells that are strengthened by vitamins and minerals. However, we have to eliminate this bad sugar.

It is imperative that we eat more raw fruits and vegetables, along with lean proteins, beans and rice. These are the staples of good health. Be mindful of the bad sugars.

Peace and Be More!

Eliminating Excess Salt & Sugar

Most of us have excess sodium and sugar in our body. The question is, how do we eliminate the excess?

We are acutely aware of the debilitating effects of excess sodium and sugar, which tend to present themselves in the form of disease. Blood flow is compromised, which minimizes the circulation of good nutrients and vitamins throughout the body. Additionally, a tremendous amount of pressure is placed on the internal organs, such as the kidneys, the pancreas and the heart. These are not the outcomes we are looking for on our wellness journey. To reverse these negative effects, there are a few simple but effective changes to make: Change nutrition – eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and eliminate processed foods; Hydrate – Drink plenty of water; Exercise – Get the body in motion.

Change in nutrition begins with minimizing or eliminating the processed and fast foods. These packaged foods contain excess sodium and sugar to preserve the foods and extend the shelf life. To avoid these processed foods, begin to shop and cook your own meals. Meals should consist primarily of living foods such as fruits and vegetables. Eating more natural proteins from beans (black, red, white) and brown rice. The nutrients and vitamins in these foods supply the body with supplements that help the immune system become stronger to help the body ward off disease.

The body system, depending on your size, is between 55 and 78 percent water, or almost two-thirds of your whole body.  Of this two-thirds, the muscles consist of 75% water, the brain consists of 90% water, the bones in your body consist of 22% water and the blood consists of 83% water.  From head to toe, we are comprised of water.  So we how vitally important it is to take in adequate amounts of water on a regular basis.

Now, drinking water also helps us to detoxify our body system.  On a daily basis, water helps to cleanse the sodium and sugar that we have in our systems just from eating poorly.  Water is our daily detox. Doing a full body cleanse is good maybe once or twice a year, however, you cleanse daily just by drinking the required amounts of water.

Once we have lowered these items of sodium and sugar, and we’re eating more fruits, vegetables, and more natural proteins from beans and brown rice, water will distribute those vital nutrients throughout the body systems, including the bones, muscles, vital organs, etc.  This daily detox helps to eliminate dis-ease from your system.

Water also helps to thin the blood that sugar tends to thicken and helps to eliminate toxins through perspiration.  Now that the metabolism has picked up and your body’s working the process and metabolizing the food you’re eating and eliminating the waste.

How much water should we drink?  Take our body weight and cut that in half.  The number you arrive at, in ounces, is the amount of water you should drink in a 24-hour period.  Don’t just guzzle your water.  Sip your water throughout your day.  You can drink between 8-12 ounces every 30-45 minutes.  If you do that consistently throughout your day, the body will be hydrated. Guzzling the water causes it to flow directly to your bladder, for elimination, and not into your bloodstream for use.

Exercise must be a major part of each day.  Exercise helps to increase your blood flow.  The heart itself is a muscle that requires exercise to keep it healthy. Exercise it doing aerobics.  Exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes a day will help you strengthen this muscle.  Exercise also helps move those nutrients, carried by the water, throughout your body and helps you eliminate. Now, the metabolism is increased through exercise and good cholesterol levels increase while the bad cholesterol levels decrease.

Where sodium and sugar slow the body functions down, exercise increases your heart’s working capacity, and provides more energy. Get out and do something - 30 minutes of walking, no matter what. Exercise, three to five times a week minimum, especially if you’re trying to release toxins from your system.

We possess a tremendous amount of power, the power to control ourselves.  Use this information to help lower your sodium intake; lower your sugar intake; exercise; drink water; and eat healthier.

It sounds simple.  It is simple.  We just have to get out and do it.

Let’s all be more conscious of these simple things and let’s get out and let’s go do it.  As you set the healthy example, you will influence the change for a healthier community, a healthier family and a healthier world.

Peace and Be More!

Sodium

In today’s Ultimate Transformation Moment we focus on sodium in the diet.  Many ask about sodium and the dietary responsibilities we have to understand exactly what sodium is.

Understand that when you take a lot of sodium into the body system, the kidney is the main body party that deals with the distribution of it.  The kidney functions to keep the body in balance.  So once you start accumulating too much sodium in the kidneys, it becomes difficult to eliminate it through urination.  The body must then start to attract and hold on to water and from that the blood volume increases.

That means you’re going to start putting a little more pressure on the heart and the heart is going to work harder and harder to have that blood move through the body system, through the vessels, and eventually, it’s going to increase the pressure of blood flow through the arteries.  This is called high blood pressure – hypertension, which can result in heart disease and possibly stroke.  It also creates some kidney diseases, so we must learn to start limiting salt, which is just a small portion of the sodium we ingest.

Table salt definitely has a lot of sodium in it.  The majority of the processed foods we eat contain a tremendous amount of sodium and sodium chloride. These chemicals help to preserve the foods while they are on the shelves.

Natural foods may also have sodium in them, but in very low concentrations, like celery, onions, and garlic. That’s why you can use these foods when you cook for seasoning. Meats such as, chicken, beef, etc. are preserved during processing, then we pass down family recipes that have a whole bunch of sodium added to make the food taste better.  So, sodium comes in many different ways.

This is the breakdown that I want people to understand: 

1)   About five percent of our daily sodium comes from us adding salt to the foods that we cook;

2)  Another six percent is added while we’re eating, so people sprinkle salt on their food when they’re eating it;

3)  Another 12 percent comes from natural foods, just eating chicken, beef, and other the natural fruits and vegetables.

But look, 77 percent of sodium comes from processed and prepared foods, like out of hamburger stands and canned foods. So, an immediate solution to reducing sodium intake is to simply get back to the basics.  Eat more fresh foods.  Limit the processed and fast foods.

If you’re going to eat processed food, make sure it is low in sodium and then be aware of any additional condiments you use.  Soy sauce, for instance, is very, very high in sodium.  As are salad dressing, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard, pickle relish.  They all increase the daily sodium intake. If the sodium content to calories is one to one or less in the food, then, it’s possibly a good choice. 

Finally, the daily allowance of sodium for a healthy adult, is 2,300 milligrams daily of sodium in our diet.  Now, if you have a heart problem or diabetes, hypertension, the allowance reduces to 1,500 milligrams as the limit. So, let’s make 1,500 milligrams and lower be our daily sodium intake, or less. 

Be mindful of your food packaging.  If something has more than 200 milligrams of sodium in it, you may not want to touch it, because it already has too much sodium.  If you see things that have sodium nitrate, baking soda, baking powder, of course, MSG-Monosodium-glutamate, you have to be very mindful because these items are also very high in sodium.

How do we eliminate or drastically reduce our sodium intake?  Reduce the intake of processed foods; drink more water to help eliminate the sodium that’s already in our body system; and exercise.  Make sure you’re hydrated when exercising.  That helps eliminate a lot of that excess sodium in the body system and helps you have that healthy heart. Look, we can live a long time and we can do a lot for ourselves, but we must be mindful of sodium.

Peace and Be More!

Commit To Excellence

My dad was my first coach and he taught me how to compete.  He taught me how to push myself to my maximum limit.  He would say, “Push yourself to your limit and then push some more.”  I didn’t understand until I was older that he was teaching me the concept and characteristics of excellence.  The Raiders’ owner Al Davis coined the slogan, ‘commitment to excellence.’  This is what my dad was trying to get from me.  He was trying to get me to commit to the idea of being excellent, today’s Ultimate Transformation Moment. Let’s all commit to the concept of excellence.

 Excellence can sometimes feel like an out of reach concept, somewhat unattainable. It is just the opposite. It is a behavioral characteristic that when used in our day-to-day lives, we find that we reap the benefit of great achievement.

 Today, I define excellence with the three little words that my dad would say to me: “Push some more.”  In general, everyone has a basic idea of what we should do each day to meet our minimal requirements. However, just meeting a minimum requirement is not enough; we should do this and then “Push some more.” These three words represent the most important characteristic of excellence and that is maximum effort! Maximum effort should be demonstrated not only in areas that we are comfortable, or happy with, but in all areas of life.

 The main characteristic of excellence, is never settling for less than our best effort.  If we accept anything less than our best effort, we are settling for mediocrity. Mediocrity does not produce greatness. Maximum effort, going above and beyond produces greatness and Excellence. Take advantage of every opportunity that is offered, and this is done by giving maximum effort and going beyond the norm. We all have the potential for greatness. It is our choice to exert the effort to be great.

 The best way to evaluate ourselves and know we are demonstrating excellence is through personal assessment. Take an honest look at your actions each day and build a standard. Once you have identified the standard, or the basic effort you give each day, try to outperform yourself(give maximum effort) the next day. Then, continue this practice each day thereafter.

 If you’re going to set out and make the idea of yourself this week to be a better husband, do what you’ve done before and then do some more.  Our commitment to excellence will lead us to a definite better place and if we consistently do it, we become better, our families become better, our communities become better, and eventually the world.

 Peace and Be More!

Stress Management

Today’s Ultimate Transformation Moment takes a look at managing stress. Stress is simply the body’s response to outside stimulus, that has been recognized as a potential problem. Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. This strain is a response that is perceived as danger or a threat. The heart rate increases, digestion slows, and the rate of your blood flow to major muscle groups reduces.  Adrenaline begins to flow, as the fight or flight response kicks in. This can be a positive or negative response.

 Additionally, stress increases the levels of fear. The author Herbert Harus, defines fear as, “false evidence appearing real.” This means that many of the things that cause us stress or make us fearful, are usually not going to happen. To manage this fear you must stop believing that any given situation is going to have a negative outcome. So, in your thoughts you must replace the negative with positive thoughts. Give all situations a positive outcome in your mind, and believe that there are only perfect solutions.

 Managing stress is about finding and using your individual method of keeping your thoughts focused and centered on positive things and outcomes. A few methods for managing your stress, are meditation/prayer, breathing exercises, and organization.

Meditation/Prayer

People think meditation means sitting with your legs crossed and chanting. While this is fine, understand that meditation happens anytime you have focused thought. I happen to meditate when working out, or while I am on a long run. I keep my thoughts focused on staying relaxed and maintaining proper technique. Some people listen to soothing music and focus on the beauty of melodic sounds. Meditation/prayer can be any positive thought focused upon. It allows the individual to find something other than the stressor to infiltrate his or her mind.

 Breathing Exercise

Most of us have been on the freeway with incredible traffic, and find ourselves becoming stressed and tensed. Before the stress level increases, stop and take relaxed deep breaths. Take a few minutes to just focus on deep soothing breaths. Inhale through the nostrils trying to swallow some of that good oxygen, then exhale out through your mouth. Repeat this five to ten times. This will calm you and relieve tension from the entire body.

 Organize Your Day

List and prioritize the activities of your day. Make sure that when you organize your day you complete the most important task on your list. When you organize the most difficult items, you relieve some of the day–to–day worry. This allows you to rest, and ease your mind.

 While we have many issues to deal with every day several of them can be alleviated by keeping a positive mind, finding the time to center and be calm, and organize your day. Relax. Release, and let go and it’s done!

Peace and Be More!

Sports: Play To Win. Have Fun!

Today’s Ultimate Transformation Moment is a message to parents.  As the school year begins, and children begin to participate in sports, now is the time for you to let them have fun, and you can sit back and watch them grow as young people.

 Sport is a great learning tool for our youth. It teaches them many life lessons. Sport at its most fundamental level teaches our children how to compete. It teaches them how to challenge themselves to improve skills they have acquired and transfer these skills into play. They learn to work together for a common goal.

Sport teaches them how to work with other people. Through teamwork, they figure out how their role fits into the grand scheme of the team.  Sport teaches discipline.  They must learn how to meet the requirements of the team, the team rules and rules of the game. Finally, sport teaches our youth how to humbly celebrate effort in winning, as well as how to persevere and bounce back after a loss. These are just a few of the positive aspects that our youth can experience while participating in sports. Parents should celebrate these great elements of sport.

 Parents, here are a few guidelines to help your child get the most out of a sport and how you can support them.  First, let your child play without pressure from you. Sports are games, and games should be played for fun.  The time for giving suggestions, corrections or identifying mistakes, is during practice. During a game, they should play free of all external pressures.  Athletes perform at their best when they are relaxed.  Let them play for fun.

Here are two tips for parents whom I know want their children to succeed: Always focus on them playing their hardest, playing at their best.  Go out and give their best effort.  Go hard!  Gage them based on the effort that they put forth.  Teach them to always give their best effort. Second, and I know this sounds crazy, but I want you to help them to understand that a game is played with the goal of winning.  Playing to win means a lot.  In today’s society, a team can be in last place and get a trophy.  This is not an accurate representation of life.  In life, the objective is to win.  So you have to teach your child to go out and play to win, however, if they lose, use these as teaching moments. Teach them how to rebound from the feeling of the loss. Help them evaluate their performance to put themselves in a better position to possibly win the next time.  This is the true life cycle.

 Finally parents, I want you to reach back into your memories and think about the times that you played a sport as a youth.  Did you win every game?  Did you win every race?  Were you always the superstar of the team?  Well, today, you’re blessed with a beautiful child, a most important gift.  Remember your sports efforts while your child plays.  Share your past sports experiences of highs and lows and let them know that they too will have ups and downs.  Be a support to them and the sport itself will benefit them.  They will emerge each year from the sport of their choice a little better. Ultimately, the life lessons they acquire from these sports will help them achieve success in great things.

 Peace and Be More!