Stop to encourage the Newbies

From a distance, I saw him struggling in the center median.

He’d run about 20 seconds, then walk for a minute or longer.

I slowed down so I could observe him. I noticed he was an exceptionally-large man and he was really having a tough time. I on the other hand, was feeling great and effortlessly keeping about an 8:30 pace.

I turned off my iPod and ran up beside him to encourage him. “Good morning! How ya doing?”

He could barely respond because he was so out of breath. I slowed to a jog and said, “I’ve been there man. I give you all the credit in the world. I know it seems tough right now, but soon, you’ll be running the entire time and you’ll drop a lot of weight. I’ve already lost close to 50 pounds.”

I explained that the Galloway running method suggests that for Newbies, a run-walk protocol is just fine and if done properly, can provide nearly the same aerobic benefit as running the entire time, but with a much reduced chance of injury. (see: www.JeffGalloway.com)

His reaction was fantastic. He was just so appreciative that someone would stop to encourage him. He had been pretty embarrassed to get out there and often had been the victim of rude and hurtful comments by passersby. But he kept at it.

He was extremely grateful that an “athlete” would stop to encourage him. While I still do not consider myself an athlete, I started to think about this a bit more on the balance of my 14 mile run that morning.

To this brave guy, I looked slim. To him, I was running at break-neck speed. To him, completing a couple of half Ironman events and a 50K Ultra marathon would be inconceivable and unobtainable dreams.

They were for me, and at my heaviest, I was still maybe 75 pounds lighter than he was that morning.

If he sticks with it, he can achieve these milestones as well. Plus, his self-confidence and feelings of self-worth will skyrocket!

I’ve since made it a point to encourage anyone who is struggling or obviously new to sport and fitness. The heavier, the bigger, the older…the better.

I really have to hand it to some of these people. They are absolutely huge, yet they are out there doing something. They are trying. They are working hard. Sometimes I see guys well over 300 pounds on beach cruiser bikes struggling on the riverbed trail. An hour or two later, on my return trip, I will see them again, still at it. Still pushing hard.

These guys really deserve the encouragement and they get both that, and my ultimate respect. Frankly, I think I have a really soft place in my heart for these guys, because I WAS one of those guys. I can totally relate.

I cannot relate as well to the finely-tuned, 8% body fat athlete who has always been active and fit. I certainly respect their discipline and all the inevitable pain to maintain that level of fitness. But these finely-tuned athletes have absolutely no idea about being fat.

They don’t understand the humiliation, the ribs and barbs and hurtful comments, the embarrassment when your belly bounces around as you jog, the way your pectorals actually bounce around like female breasts, the huge “spare tire” that encircles your entire waist line.

Friends, these are humiliating issues that big people deal with everytime they step out of the house and try to do something about it. I don’t care if they are walking, riding a beach cruiser, or at the gym doing yoga, spin or weights. It is still embarrassing and humiliating.

For them to receive a positive comment and encouragement from someone who embodies everything they are hoping to achieve can mean the world to them. To get encouragement from a honed and finely-tuned athlete can keep them on a high for days.

I say that no workout is so important that I cannot slow down for just 30 seconds, ask them how they are doing, tell them how much I respect what they are doing and to offer encouragement because I’ve been there, I personally know how tough this part of the process can be and that I know that they will be successful if they are patient and disciplined.

If you are an athlete, take the time to encourage those who are working hard and struggling to get in shape and improve their fitness. I think this just makes the world a little bit better place for all of us.

Motivation after an Injury/Big Race

It's a strange phenomenon.

I worked so hard for so many months to prepare for the Hawaii Ironman 70.3, and I accomplished my goal with a great time. Following the event, I took a 2.5 week break and did nothing at all. The break was necessary to let a long time hip injury settle down, and it worked great. No hip pain at all. However, it is much tougher than I thought it would be to get back into a training groove.

It seems that getting started, with anything, is actually the toughest part of the process.

Getting started, again, back onto a regular, consistent training regimen is tough. Getting started on a major report at the office, getting started cleaning out the garage, getting started with a home remodel.

These are really all the same. The toughest thing is just getting started.

I needed to remodel my home from the second we bought it nearly 14 years ago. But the task was overwhelming and expensive. So I sat on it and only did the most minor of superficial repairs that were absolutely essential. Then finally, I decided just to paint our master bath. That's all. I hired a few guys from the local paint store to help strip off some paint, and the next thing I know, I've completely remodeled nearly every single aspect of our home.

I waited 14 years and did basically nothing. Then in the course of six months I:
-painted every room in the entire house
-painted the exterior
-installed a new slate roof
-installed all new exterior windows and doors
-upgraded all electrical
-installed new fixtures in all bathrooms
-installed all new flooring in 100% of the house
-installed an Endless Pool, deck, landscaping
-did a mini-landscaping upgrade
-installed new granite counter tops in the bathrooms
-installed two new kitchens with all new appliances
-the list goes on and on

The important take away here is two fold:
1. The hardest part is just to get started
2. Once started, the speed in which things get accomplished is absolutely amazing

No one can possibly believe I did this remodel on my own (i.e. no contractor, but of course, subs did all the physical labor) nor the speed in which so much was accomplished.

Finally, I clearly realize that getting started, whether with a training program, an important report, cleaning the garage or a mid six-figure home remodel are all really the same.

As Nike says: Just Do It.

Just get started!

My company, IdeaBridge was started the same exact way...The correlation is amazing.

About ten years ago, sitting in a private room at the Jonathan Club in downtown L.A., my very good friend Joseph challenged me to just get started with a simple step. "Just open a checking account. It doesn't matter what you call it, just open that account and get something started."

He challenged me to start my own company and advise executives on the programs, tools and processes that I had developed over the years to improve the performance of bank executives and sales people. I didn't know about running a training or consulting firm at all.

But once I took him up on the idea, of "Just open a checking account", well a whole series of decisions had to be made and the wheels were set into motion.

What is the name I am going to put on the account? I need a business name. But before I decide on a name, I will need to figure out exactly what we do. Are others doing the same thing? Yep. OK then, how will my company be different, how will we position ourselves, what will we offer, why would people come to us instead of going to others who are more established, how will we price our services, and what exactly ARE our services?

I had to think about all of these things, and try to develop answers to these questions.

It all started with one simple challenge to: "Just open a checking account."

Do you want to get in shape? Do you want to change your habits? Do you want to resume a former schedule and become more disciplined?

My experience has been that you don't need to have the whole thing figured out with a detailed plan just yet.

What you need to do, right now, is commit to taking some small action...today.

Right now if you can!