Choices

“If you’d like to know what your choices have been, look at yourself and the life you have lived. What you see is the choices you’ve made.”

It’s a pattern of cognitive conditioning that has us where we're at...it will take a new pattern of cognitive conditioning to get us where we want to be. Changing the paradigm of traditional thinking is the challenge. It’s not so much what we eat as it is why we eat it.

G.K. Chesterton once said…”Its not that we can’t see the solution…it’s that we can’t see the problem”

Human behavior is a combination of biological and conditioned responses.
Know/acknowledge your genetic/biological predispositions… and be aware of your conditioned/environmental responses. Awareness…education…and application (in that order) are key steps in the transformation process.

How's that working for you?

Do your best to answer that question honestly and courageously. If you can… avoid the generic GREAT response. Think carefully for a minute and give your authentic answer… the truth behind the person you present yourself to be. If you are great then that’s… great. Good for you. You can come back tomorrow. If you’re not great… then that’s okay too. I’m not asking you to be perfect… just honest and aware.

The Devil’s Circle…

A man lost in a desert can trudge for hours through the sands until he sees ahead of him an unmistakable line of foot prints leading to the horizon. But his joy on finding a trail turns to despair when he realizes the tracks are his own. Since one limb was a few millimeters longer than the other or habit or injury inclined him to step fractionally further with one leg, he consistently veered to the right or left. Without a path or landmark to guide him, he traced a vast circle while convinced he was walking in a straight line.

This describes life’s tendency to repeat itself. Like someone lost in a desert, I feel compelled to struggle ahead, unaware that a devil’s circle will only bring me back to where I began. Through the years, I return again and again to the same stock obsessions. I flick through the tomb of my achievements in the blink of an eye only to feel that nothing has really happened. I am still the anxious and puzzled child who set out on the journey.

There was another story of a young man sitting eating a pile of chili peppers. He was sweating profusely; his face was flush with pain. When asked what he was doing… he replied… “If only I continue a little longer… I am sure I’ll find a sweet one.”

No matter what experience has taught us, we insist on making the same mistakes again and again. A devils circle is addictive. It raises you to dizzy heights of rapture only to bring you crashing down into thoughts of despair. Yet I do not hesitate to start the diabolic cycle again. I find it hard to resist the urge to go through the familiar and comforting motions of habit, even when I know that the end result will be the anxious craving to repeat the experience again.

A path leads into unknown territory, whereas a circle goes over the same ground again and again. The enticing avenues that a devil’s circle offers are not paths at all.
New paths are not familiar and secure. The new patterns we will create are not as stable or predictable as they once appeared. In the devils circle, not only does the devil block the way to freedom, he tricks one into following paths that appear promising, but lead only to frustration and disillusion.
(Living with the Devil—Stephen Batchelor)

Right now, are you where you want to be mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially, and socially? Are you managing your life or is it managing you? Are you the controller of the chariot… or… are the horses running wild with you? Are you living proactively or reactively? Consciously or unconsciously? Are you doing different to create different… or are you like the man lost in the desert?

The truth is that many people will get out of bed today and do exactly what they did yesterday… even though yesterday was crap. Yes… we humans are very predictable and are creatures of habit. In fact… some people will get out of bed and do what they did last week… last month and sometimes… last decade… even though they’ve been complaining about their life for years. Complaining but not changing… Victims of their circumstance.

Truth 1: Many people are unhappy and unfulfilled because they keep doing what doesn’t work. And if nothing changes (behaviorally)… then nothing changes (reality).
Self awareness precedes self transformation.

Could you imagine building a house with no plans? No checks? No assessments along the way? Could you see yourself getting up each day and pouring concrete… cutting timber,…. hammering nails… laying bricks… hanging plaster and building your new home with no rhyme… reason… strategy… or logical process? That place would surely look disastrous. It couldn’t possibly function properly. It would be dangerous. Sooner or later it would fall down. For some of us… that house is our life.

Truth 2: Success is not random or accidental….its intentional.
We don’t deserve it… we create it.

I know that you’ve read enough… heard enough and learned enough. I also know that right now you have enough talent… time and skill to transform your life. Even if you don’t believe it.
Of course… I acknowledge that the transformational journey might not necessarily be a quick… easy or painless process… but right now I’m not talking about what’s easy… I’m talking about what’s possible for you. Could you learn more… know more and understand more? Yes… we all could. But the smart question here is… In the quest for a better life…what will create a positive shift in your world … more theory or more doing? More information or more application?

The fact that you’re reading my blog tells me that you’re probably educated… intelligent and wanting to change something about your life. It also tells me that you’ve probably read many similar personal development stories and health and fitness articles. And I’m also going to take a wild guess and say that you might have a history of seeking information that falls in line with your hopes and desires. Or... I could be totally wrong.

Truth 3: Knowing what to do… hoping it will happen… wanting to change… and intending to take action isn’t enough. Transformation lives in the consistent and courageous application of the information.

“Everything is hard before it’s easy”

Everything comes at a cost. I don’t know if you’re ready to pay the price of change. To get uncomfortable enough. To ask yourself the hard questions and make the tough decisions. To finish what you start… even when it hurts. To be honest enough with yourself and others. To step out of the theory of success and into the cold hard reality of life. To do what most people won’t. To persevere when previously you would have given up. To choose your own rules… beliefs… values and standards. To be you no matter what!

I don’t know if you’re willing to step out of your ‘conditioned’ mindset and into the vast universe of uncertainty and excitement that lives in the exploring of your potential and the building of your best life. I don’t know… but you do.

Truth 4: In the pursuit of success (whatever that means for you)… the only person who can get in your way… is you.

“We have met the enemy and he is us”

Emotional Eating

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”.
Roman 7:15


Have you ever been bored… angry or depressed one minute… and then on your couch eating the next… unable to remember why you started eating or how long you had spent consuming? If so… then you have entered the world of emotional eating. It’s something than can happen to anyone… and is one of the most common dieting dilemmas out there.Emotional eating at its best passes after a few minutes… At its worst… it can take over your life and cause you to eat uncontrollably for extended periods of time and according to nutritional experts… 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. So don’t worry… if you suffer from emotional eating… you are not alone.People are often participating in unhealthy behaviors to relieve stress or repress emotions. Some turn to drugs... while others turn to alcohol or tobacco. But for most of us… food is the one thing that provides this temporary satisfaction….not to mention that it’s cheap…abundant…socially acceptable…and legal.

Why do we crave sugar?

The problem with stress is the stimulation of the fight or flight mechanism which creates an insulin, epinephrine, and cortisol surge. This physiological stimulus actually causes you to crave high sugar… high carbohydrate foods… foods that go straight to your waistline and cause you even more stress.

When the fight or flight mechanism is stimulated… an injection of glucose floods the blood stream for immediate action. This evolutionary process developed at a time in our history when food was not readily available. It is an evolutionary advantage to have the ability to create blood sugar in times of stressful/famished situations. The stress we encountered in those times was usually life threatening… (i.e. running from tribe that was trying to kill you…escaping the attack of a saber tooth tiger… etc.)

Flash forward into the twenty first century… the stressors are different… but those traits that contributed to our early ancestors survival still preside within us.
How ironic it is that these evolutionary traits that contributed to our success as a species… are now the traits that are killing us.

Today’s stressors are very different from those of our ancestors. They are most often boredom and self esteem issues. Rather than munching… it's better to develop new skills for dealing with boredom. Try to pinpoint the major reasons for your stress or unpleasant emotions, and see how you can turn the tide. Here are a few suggestions to combat your emotions…


~ Remove trigger foods out of the house… get your crutch/texture foods out of arms' reach

~ Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.

~ Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises

~ Display a reminder of your goal

~ Talk to a friend

~ Surround yourself with positive reinforcers, (i.e. pictures and people)

~ Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishments

~ Track your eating patterns, including when and why you pick up food.

If you still seem to come back to food when your emotions get the best of you… you can at least be prepared. Eating large amounts of snacks is not a good thing. But if you eat low calorie…mixed foods… it’s not so bad. So stock the fridge with healthy alternatives-foods that have good nutritious value and are smaller in size. Here are a few food suggestions to keep within arms' reach…

~Apple or orange slices with small amount (1 tbs.) of Natural peanut butter

~Broccoli with reduced fat dressing with 3 oz. of chicken, turkey or tuna

~Whole wheat toast or Whole wheat tortilla with 3 oz chicken or turkey (NF mayo or honey mustard)

~Fruit smoothie with protein powder (banana, strawberries, oranges, blueberries)

Eating meals that contain a mixture of protein and carbohydrates…as mentioned above… will produce a slow…sustained release of energy that will modulate appetite and provide a lasting feeling of fullness.

The famous philosopher Socrates once said…“Know thyself…The unexamined life is not worth living”. Pinpointing the major reasons (antecedents) for your stress or unpleasant emotions is a must before achieving self-transformation. Self transformation is the ultimate goal.

"Like a moth to a flame"

Why has the human brain evolved in a way that attracts us toward destructive behavior?

Think about it…we spend more than we make…we eat more than we need…we lust after our neighbors wife?

What could be the possible benefit for humanity to spend more, eat more, or lust more?

Maybe this is the wrong question to ask.

A helpful analogy is moths flying into candle flames. It's tempting to ask… “What is the survival value of suicidal behavior in moths”… but that's the wrong question. Instead what we should ask is, “What's the survival value of having the kind of brain which, when there are candles about, causes moths to fly into them?”

Now in the wild state, when the moth’s brain was being naturally selected, there weren't any candles, and if you saw a bright light in the middle of the night it pretty well had to be a celestial object. It could be a firefly or something like that, but it was most likely to be the moon or a star, or, in a day-flying insect, the sun.

At optical infinity, when light rays are traveling in parallel, those rays provide an excellent compass. And it's well known that insects use light rays as a compass. They maintain a fixed angle; let's say 30 degrees, to a source of light. Well, if you maintain a 30 degree angle to the moon's rays, that's fine, you go in a straight line. But if you maintain a 30 degree angle to a candle’s rays, you'll describe a neat logarithmic spiral straight into the candle and burn.

(This analogy was proposed by Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins)

So, now we have rephrased the question. The question is not, “What is the survival value of killing yourself, if you're a moth?” the question has become, “What's the survival value of maintaining a fixed angle relative to light rays?” And now we've got a sensible answer. In the case of the candle it's just a mistake.

Well now, what's the equivalent of the candle flame explanation in the case of the human condition?

Humans have evolved over the course of millions of years. During this time, the selection process preferred individuals that were hard wired for consumption and procreation. It should be easy to see how these traits were beneficial (necessary) in the early development of man. The descent of man occurs when you pair these “hard wired” traits/desirers in the twenty first century environments.


Now in the earlier years, when a human’s brain was being naturally selected, there weren't any credit card companies… and… if you saw a dead animal it was in your best interest to eat it…All of it!

The lustful tendencies of today’s humans seem just as confusing as the moth committing suicide in the flame. After all…”you’re married…why would you lust after her?” It seems confusing… that is until you consider the evolutionary purposes of having a strong sex drive in an evolving species.

So, now we have rephrased the human question.

The question is not, Why has the human brain evolved in a way that attracts us toward destructive behavior?

The question is, “What is the biological advantage for the human brain to consume?”

And now we've got a sensible answer. In order for early humans to flourish, the desire to consume is a must to perpetuate the species.

Ironically if the successful desires of consumption inherited from a much more dangerous world are not controlled in the new world of abundance…like a moth we will fly into the flame.

Muscle Physiology

“The stronger the wind…the stronger the oak”

As with anything in life, stress forces adaptation. This is especially true when it comes to our strength training program. The amount effort and type of stress (exercise) determines the amount of adaptation.

The two key components to any successful exercise program are specificity and over load.

Before we begin with the specifics of strength training, it’s crucial that we have a firm understanding of the neural adaptations and muscle physiology that occur during training. Neuromuscular Adaptations to resistance exercise:
Neuromuscular system:

Conditioned response discussed the importance of what we believe and how it determines our actions. Now it is time to put our beliefs into action!
Every movement we make is first stimulated by the brain… travels through the central nervous system… to the peripheral nervous system…ending at a motor unit. The motor units are the final destination for muscle fiber contraction (MFC). The amount of motor units stimulated, and the type of muscle fiber contracted, is dependant on the stress of the stimulus. (i.e. weight lifting, sprinting, distance events)

This process is known as Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. (The SAID principle) Amazingly a 6 month study of strength trained athletes found that neural activation explained most of the strength gains during the most intensive training months and that hypertrophy was not a major factor. This lets us know that the most important aspect of strength training is stimulating the brain to achieve the desired outcome.

Beliefs, as mentioned earlier, are a powerful driving force with regard to our actions.
The knowledge of neural-functional adaptation is essential in our goal for you to truly believe and understand the purpose of strength, power, and speed training.Anatomy of muscle fibers:
Not all muscles fibers are composed of the same type, nor do they perform the same actions. In order to implement a program to maximize performance, you must know the specific's of one's goals. Aim High’s primary mission is to educate and demonstrate how to improve athletic performance through strength and agility conditioning. Knowing the specifics of muscle fiber types will allow you to focus your training toward the desired outcome… Strength…Power…Speed!

There are three different types of muscle fibers; Slow twitch, fast twitch I,
and fast twitch II.

Slow twitch fibers:
(Due to the focus of this program, we will not dedicate a lot of time to this area)

Slow twitch fibers are used during sub maximal events such as distance running. These fibers are better suited for distance because of their oxidative nature (fat burn) and fatigue resistant capabilities. When endurance events are repeated, there is a shift in the fast twitch fibers to take on the characteristics of a slow twitch fiber. There are two very important factors that need to be considered if you are currently combining endurance and strength training in your program…

1. Strength training greatly enhances the performance level of endurance athletes.

2. Endurance training greatly impairs the performance level of strength athletes.

Strength Training:

The next two fiber types are the primary focus of our program:

The term strength is characterized as the maximal force that a muscle or muscle group can generate. Power is the explosive aspect of strength, and is the product of strength and speed of movement: power (force x distance)/time
Power is the functional application of both strength and speed…
Power is the key component for most athletic performances.


Fast twitch I and II


Fast twitch I and fast twitch II are the fiber type associated primarily with hypertrophy (muscle size) and strength (power). Power lifters, bodybuilders, and Olympic lifters incorporate heavy, explosive lifting in their programs to maximize these effects. This type of training combined with speed, agility, and nutrition, will allow you to maximize your genetic potential and greatly increase athletic performance. These are some of the characteristics of fast twitch fibers:

Oxidative capacity Moderately high (fat burn)Glycolytic capacity high (carbohydrate burn) Contractile speed fast (contractile force strong) Fatigue resistance moderate (endurance moderate)Increase in mitochondria moderately high (availability of fuel)Muscular hypertrophy high (increase muscle size)


Philosophy in the weight room:

“Strength training is an essential component in speed training”

When training for speed, you will need to adhere to workouts that are made for explosion.
Aim high athletes will predominantly use free weights. We believe that free weights offer advantages that some resistance machines do not provide. The athlete must control the weight being lifted. An athlete must recruit more motor units…not only in the muscle being trained…but also in additional muscle to gain control of the bar and to maintain body balance. When training for football, the experience with free weights more closely resembles competition. (Training specificity)
These workouts will include exercises like bench press, squats, dead lifts, military press, power cleans, and snatch. These exercises are called “core lifts” in the workout and are all compound lifts. We will also incorporate exercises like incline bench press, close grip bench press, triceps press down, front raises, lunges, step ups, leg extensions, leg curls, and various abdominal exercises that are labeled “auxiliary lifts”.

Field work: On the fields we will also incorporate several methods of resistance…
(Hill running, plyometrics, cable drag…walking/running, sled pulls)

Only muscle can create movement. The stronger the muscle… and the more forceful the contractions…the faster the player can run. With strength training, not only does a player get stronger, but his muscle mass also increases. So the player not only runs faster but also weights more. The combination of speed and size increases the performance potential of a football player.

Strength training incorporates weights that are 70% to 90% of ones max, and rest periods that are forty to sixty seconds in length. The rep range varies from 5 to 10 repetitions. The combination of heavy weight, explosive movement, minimal rest, and the moderate rep range creates the most neural-muscular recruitment… which in turn leads to greater strength, power, and blazing speed. An additional bonus to our training program is the injury prevention aspect.

Most “speed camps” only focus on running… which sets you up for injuries. The combination of strength and speed work that we offer provides muscle balance and strengthens the muscle attachments and increases the density of bone at the site of muscle origins and insertions…which means fewer injuries.

The number one purpose of Aim high training is complete conditioning. The synergistic approach that we have laid out will maximize each participant genetic potential to become the best that they can…and will become.

We are very excited to have this opportunity and will do everything within our power to ensure that each person is completely satisfied and ready for performance.

Food addiction

Food addiction

Be careful with the idea of "food addiction" because it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if you start believing that any food has the power to "make" you eat it. The words you use when thinking and talking can have major effects on how you actually behave…Anthony Robbins, famous motivational speaker, often talks about the power of NLP… (Neural linguistic programming)… the ability to talk yourself into… or out of a specific goal.

Sometimes ideas like "cravings" or "addictions" take power away from you and place it in the food (something in the food makes you want it) or in some mysterious physiological process (that your body really "needs" a particular food, like sweets). This is rarely true.

I am a believer, by observation, of the “Life model of addiction”. This is a proposition that an addiction is not a disease but rather a habitual response and a source of gratification and security that can be understood only in the context of social relationships and experiences.

Don’t misunderstand me….scientists have found that our brains do react to foods at the chemical level in ways that resemble our responses to drugs (eating makes us feel good and certain foods, like sweets and other carbs, affect brain chemicals to improve mood). But this is not the same thing as a true, physiological craving or chemical dependency. Most of the time, what you really want is pleasure and comfort—not a particular food itself. A common scenario is that a stressor has upset the chemical balance in your brain, and it wants you to do something that will produce other chemical reactions to restore balance. This can make you very susceptible to emotional eating and to the appeal of "comfort" foods. This isn't because these foods are addictive. They are nothing more than effective ways to alter brain chemistry, which you've learned very easily and early in life, creating very powerful habits.

This is known as the “Law of Contiguity”… “A combination of stimuli which has accompanied a movement will on its recurrence tend to be followed by that movement”You know that emotional eating works…for a few minutes. But then it has the opposite effect. You get more depressed and feel worse. Eating foods high in fast-acting carbs (simple sugars) is not the only way to restore balance and feel good. The trick is finding other ways to satisfy yourself in the moment instead of reaching for something to eat. In fact, anything that makes you feel good, and helps you relax will give your brain exactly what it needs.

The other part of the equation is to develop a good collection of stress management, problem solving, and relaxation practices you can use to keep your brain chemistry in balance.
A little bit of exercise, a walk outside, a massage, your favorite music or inspirational reading will do the trick. These techniques should help you stay cool, calm and collected all or most of the time, so that you brain doesn’t get out of balance so easily in the first place.

The bottom line is that food addiction is usually just a bad habit. Like all bad habits, it can be unlearned and replaced with something else. You just have to start by saying and believing you can do it.

"At first you create your habits...Then your habits create you"

- KH Fitness