When I rise each day at 4:30 AM to train my early morning high performance clients, Lou Gehrig’s famous words run through my mind, “…I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.” The cold and dampness and ungodly time of day I face are a fair tradeoff to learn the lessons of leadership from my pre-dawn movers and shakers. From CEOs, COOs, psychiatrists, managing partners and surgeons, I have learned as much from them as [...]
A few weeks ago I heard a spirited discussion about who should be carved into basketball’s “Mt. Rushmore.” NBA fans were tweeting all the usual suspects: LeBron James was at the head of the list as he already proclaimed that position long before Miami lost to San Antonio in the finals. Other contenders included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, Julius Irving and Wilt Chamberlain. I love this kind of conversation because there are no wrong answers, [...]
One and Done A few days ago I was listening to ESPN Radio about 8 AM on my way to a training session. The morning hosts, Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg (AKA Mike & Mike) had the Duke men’s basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, (AKA Coach K) as their guest. But as fate would have it, Mercer cancelled Duke’s ticket to the next round. Coach K remarked, “…In a one-and-done elimination tournament, anything can happen. One loss and you’re out.” [...]
While the title of my recent book is Leave the Cannoli Take the Weights, the subtitle, Practical Guidance on Eating, Exercise and Empowerment really tells the reader what the book is about. Of all three themes in the subtitle, the most important by far is empowerment. Without empowerment, self-empowerment in particular, you would not have the ability to grow and change as a person. It is self-empowerment, combined with a toolkit and plan that transforms being overweight to lean [...]
Since June 10 through 16 is National Men’s Health Week, let’s talk about the magnificent seven actions a guy can take to stay fit and healthy. To make this easy to digest, I’ll use lots of guyspeak, replete with the imagery we are most comfortable with. Ladies, pass this on to all the men you love Avoid accidents. According to research published in the Wall Street Journal, accidents are the leading cause of death in men until the age [...]
When facing a new challenge, whether physical, emotional or intellectual, I used to approach the edge of my comfort zone like Chuck Yeager approached the sound barrier. As the vibration of fear entered the cockpit of my soul, I wrestled for the stick as rivets popped and adrenaline pumped. But a funny thing happened. As soon as I made the transition to supersonic flight, the ride smoothed out. My fear, still present but now relegated to background noise, was [...]
My office sports two large bookcases filled with books about exercise and nutrition. One of my favorite books has everything to do with eating and nothing to do with dieting. "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," penned by Dr. Brian Wansink, Ph.D., is a blockbuster that examines how and why we make 200 food-related decisions a day, 90% of which are unconscious. So is it any wonder that most Americans don't choose wisely? As the director [...]
Be an All-Star in the Game of Life Start with Some Spring Training In baseball, this is the best time of year, the season before the season. Any team can win the World Series, any player an All Star. Spring training is a time of potentialities. Converting potential to success involves commitment and training. To help you have a successful opening day in the next season of your life, may I offer you Trainer Joe’s spring training regimen. Train [...]
The Lesson of "Wally Pipp" Several days ago, a long-time client told me she felt tired from sleeping poorly two nights in a row. In addition, a cold was coming on. Uncertain about her ability to train, she asked if I could modify her exercise program for the day to accommodate her being under the weather. I explained that it is better to exercise at a lower level of intensity than not to train at all. “How differently things [...]