Warrior Mind Podcast

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to discuss 7 Unique Benefits of Strength Training that you probably don’t know.

7 Unique Benefits of Strength Training 

Lifting weights is the natural choice if you want a broad back and bulging biceps. However, you might be surprised to learn that it’s also effective for a much wider range of fitness goals.

Less than 25% of American adults exercise regularly. Even fewer make strength training a central part of their routine. If that sounds like you, you’re missing out on more than bigger muscles.

Incorporating the power of resistance into your workouts can help you get more impressive results in less time.

Learn more about what strength training can do for you, and how to get started.

7 Lesser-Known Benefits of Strength Training:

* Condition your heart. Aerobics may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about exercises for your heart, but strength training works too. That’s because it helps reduce abdominal fat that causes inflammation and other health issues.

* Lower your blood pressure. Hypertension puts you at higher risk for stroke and heart disease, and there are often no symptoms to warn you. Along with taking any medication recommended by your doctor, physical activity can help you stay within a safer range.

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* Lose weight. Muscle burns more calories than fat even when you’re sitting on the couch. As long as you avoid eating more, you may find it easier to shed excess pounds.

* Prevent falls. Enhancing your balance and posture makes you steadier on your feet. Weight-bearing exercises also thicken your bones, so your injuries may be less serious even if you do slip.

* Increase flexibility. Lowering weights affects your body in much the same way as static stretches. That extra flexibility reduces stress and gives you greater freedom of movement.

* Increase your energy. Daily tasks require less effort when you reduce your body fat and learn to use your body more efficiently. You may find it easier to keep up with your children and grandchildren.

* Boost your overall wellbeing. Research shows that exercise can be as effective as antidepressants for some patients. In addition to looking fit, you’re likely to feel happier and calmer and may even reverse cognitive decline associated with aging.

Tips for Getting Started with Strength Training:

* Follow instructions. Lifting weights can be safe as long as you take a few simple precautions. Work with a trainer or watch videos to study proper form and choose exercises that are less likely to cause injury.

* Proceed gradually. Start with light weights and work your way up as your body adapts. As a general rule, expect to increase your load by 10% or less at any one time.

* Lift heavy. At the same time, you’ll progress faster if you use the heaviest weights you can handle safely.

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m continuing a series on peak performance.  Today we’re going to talk about having the courage to rest.

Courage to Rest

Grow Your Mindful Muscle with Mediation

* Find a time when other distractions are minimized, i.e., first thing in the morning, before bed, transition between work and home.

* Sit in a comfortable position, in a quite space (or use noise cancelation earbuds/headphones).

* Set a timer to keep your mind free from wondering how much longer.

* Begin breathing deeply, make the exhale longer than then in inhale, i.e., in to a count of 4, exhale to a count of 6.

* Focus only on the breath (and perhaps the counting). If you wander, bring your attention back to the breath.

* Begin with 1 minute.

* Repeat daily, remember, frequency trumps duration. It’s far more effective to mediate everyday for 1 minute than mediate once a week for 10 minutes.

Apply Your Growing Mindful Muscle in Your Everyday Life

* Have a calm internal dialogue during stressful situations; remember that you are separate from your emotions.

* Practice identifying the specific emotion you are feeling.  Use the feeling wheel to help articulate the exact emotion.

* https://www.betterup.com/blog/emotion-wheel

* Be aware when you want to “turn it off” and then choose to leave stress behind.  Taking a few deep breaths helps because it activates the pre-frontal cortex, your brains’ executive function center.

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Take Small Breaks and Let Your Subconscious do its’ Thing

* When you are working on a strenuous task and hit an impasse, have the courage to step away…for a bit.* Step away from whatever you’re doing for at least 5 minutes.* The more stressful the task, the longer the break.

* For really taxing tasks, consider stepping away until the next day.

* During your breaks, perform activities that demand little to no focus.* Go on a short walk.* Sit in nature.* Meditate.* Recover socially.* Listen to music.* Take a shower.

* Do the dishes.

* You may have an “aha” moment during your break. If you do, great! If you don’t, know that your subconscious is still working on the challenge.  When you return you’re more likely to make progress.

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This podcast is based on the book Peak Performance.

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m continuing a series on peak performance.  Today we’re going to look at stress yourself…on purpose!  

Why Stress Yourself?

* It isn’t experience that sets top performers apart from the rest, but the amount of deliberate practice they put in. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

* Across the board, when great performers are doing serious work (deep work) their bodies and minds are 100 percent there. They are fully engaged in the moment (flow).

* By doing one thing at a time and devoting full attention to that one thing, you’ll be able to many things well.

* For most of us, effective multitasking is nothing more than effective delusional thinking.

Stress Performance Practices:

* Apply the components of deliberate practice each time you set out to do meaningful, deep work:* Define a purpose and concrete objectives for each working session.* Ask yourself: What do I want to learn or get done?* Focus and concentrate deeply, even if doing so isn’t always enjoyable.* Single-task: The next time you feel like multitasking, remind yourself that research shows it’s not effective. Keep in mind “one thing at a time.”

* remember that quality overrides quantity

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* Smartphones distract us whether they are on, off, in our pockets, or on a table and they command our attention even when they are not our own. The best solution for preventing smartphone distraction is to remove it from the environment completely.

Flow Performance Practices:

* Identify what interrupts your deep focus (flow).  Common invaders, many of which are enabled my smartphones, include: Social Media, IM, Text, Email, Videos, Slack, Phone, etc.

* Remove/turnoff distractions: Remember that only out of site truly leads to out of mind (awareness).

* Alternating between blocks of 50 to 90 minutes of deep work and recovery of 7 to 20 minutes enables people to sustain the physical, mental and emotional energy required of peak performance.

Focus Performance Practices:

* Divide your work into chunks of 50 to 90 minutes (depending on the task). Start even smaller if you find yourself struggling to maintain attention.

* As you develop the strength in area of attention, you’ll likely discover that you can work harder and longer.

* For most activities and most situations, 2 hours should be the upper limit for a time-block.

* The way we think about the world has a extremely profound effect on what we do in it.

* How we view stress weighs heavily on how stress influences us.

* By pushing us towards just manageable challenges and enhancing how we’ll respond to them, the right mindset opens up the possibilities for growth to occur.

Mindset Performance Practices:

* Remember the power of mindset: How you view something fundamentally changes how your body responds to it, i.e., nervous or excited,

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to begin a series on peak performance.  Today we’ll look at the secret to sustainable success.

Peak Performance –The Growth equation

 The Secret to Sustainable Success

What is peak performance? Peak performance is a level of exceptional functioning in which a person effortlessly performs an activity to the maximum of their ability while fully focused and immersed in the feelings of confidence, engagement and enjoyment.

Stress and rest = growth. This equation holds true regardless of what you are trying to achieve.

Stress demands rest, and rest supports stress.

The strongest individuals spend their time either pursuing their activity with ferocious intensity or engage in complete restoration and recovery.

Performance Practice:

Based on Ultradian rhythm concept (pomodoro method)

* Alternate between cycles of stress and rest in your most important pursuits.

* Insert short breaks throughout your work over the course of the day.

* Strategically time your “off-days”, long weekends, and vacations to follow periods of heavy stress.

* Determine when your work regularly starts to suffer. When you find that point, insert a recovery break just prior to it.

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We have a single reservoir of brainpower/willpower for all acts of cognition and self-control, even those that are unrelated, i.e., resisting cookies.

Performance Practices:

* Remember that “stress is stress”: fatigue on one task spills over into the next, even if the two are completely unrelated.

* Only take on a few challenges at once. Otherwise, you’ll literally run of energy.

* Tweak your environment to support your goals. This is especially important at times when you know you’ll be depleted. It’s incredible how much our surroundings impact our behavior, especially when we are fatigued.

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Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to discuss How Focus Can Change Your Life and achieve peak performance in work, sport and life.

How Focus Can Change Your Life

The mind’s power is immense, and you can use it to achieve anything you want. Here, I’ll teach you how to tap into the power of your mind and zoom in on the things you want in order to transform your reality. I’ll also cover how to stay focused and motivated while avoiding distractions.

Here’s how you can use your mind to change your reality:

* Learn how to use your mind positively to transform your thoughts from abstract to reality. The reason is powerful and can help you manifest your desires. So, focus on your goals and take inspired action.

* How to use your mind power to change your life: First, get clear about what you want. What are your goals? What do you want to achieve? Once you understand your goals, it will be easier to focus on them.

* The next step is visualizing what you want to achieve. See yourself achieving your goals and living the life you want. Imagine yourself taking inspired action every day.

* Believe in yourself. Believe you can achieve your goals. When you have doubts, you will stifle your progress. Self-belief starts with you making a conscious decision to become your most excellent version.

* There is redemptive power in making a firm decision. You can save your life when you make a steadfast decision to change your life.

* Take action. Take inspired steps towards your goals. You will see results, and your life will change.

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How to Stay Focused

Distractions are everywhere. It’s important to stay focused if you want to move forward. What does it mean to stay focused? World-renowned film director George Lucas said: “Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”

What you focus on will determine the quality of your life. If you focus on the problematic aspects of your life, they will grow. If you pay attention to the good things in your life, they, too, will multiply. Life transformation starts when you decide, focus, and take action.

Take these steps to help you stay focused:

* Simplify. One of the first steps is to strip your goals down to the bare minimum. Having several life goals is a good thing, however, focusing on several goals at one time is overwhelming.

* Therefore, analyze your goal list. What is more important right now? Prioritize your goals and emphasize the ones that will create a lasting change in your life right now.

* Make a list of all your objectives and pick the essential ones. For example, if you want to improve your finances, get clear on how much you need to make. What actions will you take to achieve your financial goals? Write the steps.

* Do you have relationship goals or health and fitness goals? Break them down and focus on the most important ones.

* Reduce your task list. Successful entrepreneurs like Alex Hormozi focus on three vital tasks each day. They don’t create substantial task lists. They zoom in on the essential things and prioritize.

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to discuss my personal hero philosophy for success in work, sport and life.

My Hero Philosophy

How you do anything, is a reflection of how you do everything!

My philosophy is based on the 4 C’s of mental strength, stoicism and bushido. There are many great teachers, coaches, guides and philosopher’s that have influenced me and my Hero Philosophy and I’m proud to share it with you.

* Finish What You Start: Once commitment to something, stick to it till completion.

* Don’t Wait till You’re Thirsty to Dig a Well: Have a sense of urgency

* Words Matter: Say it the way you WANT it.

* Focus: Follow one course until successful, one thing at a time, W.I.N

* No One Said it Would be Easy: Embrace the suck, push yourself beyond your complacent zone.

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* Control What You Can: Thoughts, attitude, attention, actions, habits, beliefs, emotions, decisions, time (self) management.

* Make a Decision: Determine what you want, commit to it, make a decision!

* Embrace Your Archetypes: Warrior, king, lover, magician.

* Live by a Code: Values and virtues provide a compass.

* Own it! It’s your life, own it and all the results in it.

I hope this philosophy has inspired you to live up to your full potential!

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How To Breakout Of Your Complacent Zone

Why Change Is Hard and How to Fix It

When we think about getting new results, whether it’s in the area of health, fitness, athletics, sales or relationships, what we’re looking for is….  

Change!

Change from our current state to more powerful and fulfilling one.

So…What is Change?

Change is something that moves us out of our comfort (complacent) zone.

Let me ask you, how many times have you set out to create change only to get “stuck” or to backslide? 

Why this happened is because you slammed up against your line of mental resistance.

What is Mental Resistance?

It is the consciousness or unconscious rejection to change.

The inherent problem with setting out to get new result, i.e. goal setting is how it relates to the way the brain works. Recent neuroscience research shows the brain works in a protective way, that is, it’s resistant to change.

Therefore, any goals that require substantial behavioral change or thinking-pattern change will automatically be resisted. The brain is wired to seek rewards and avoid pain or discomfort, including fear and change is perceived as a discomfort by the brain and mind.

When fear or failure creeps into the mind of the goal setter it commences a de-motivator with a desire to return to known, comfortable behavior and thought patterns.

Why Change is So Hard

Change is constant and will always be present in our lives, either we cause it or we’re the effect of it.

In fact, the person you are when you start reading this article is different from the person you are after reading it—that is how quickly we change.

Medical research has shown that in one year the physical makeup of your body changes 99% and only takes four years to become a completely new you. That means part of us changes every single moment.

The big question is: Why is change so hard for us?

I believe it has to do with our inability to manage all the components of change.

The field of neuroscience reveals some interesting facts about how we deal with change in our bodies and the emotional impact it has on us. Let me share some interesting facts to create awareness as to why change can be so hard.

As you read, I encourage you to read it through the perspective of a behavior you have struggled to change: people pleasing, health and fitness, relationships, getting angry and shouting at people, putting yourself down, etc.

Our behaviors become addictions, and addictions are hard to change.

An addictive behavior starts with a belief that drives the habit. Saying to yourself that people love you when you do what they want supports the belief that you are not worthy. This type of inner voice drives the oft-destructive habit of people pleasing, a specific behavior linked directly to our emotions.

To change these behaviors seems easy on the surface.

You think, “If I allow others to put me down while putting themselves first and keep accepting this, then I am willfully not standing up for myself.”

The easiest way to change this is to say ‘no’ and stand up for yourself, right?

If only it were that easy.

Unfortunately, our bodies are working against change, and here is what is happening:

Our emotions drive our behaviors,

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to discuss 6 strategies for Momentum and Motivation to achieve personal success.  

Momentum and Motivation

The old adage “slow and steady wins the race” is actually sometimes true. The tortoise in the story of the tortoise and the hare won the race not because he was the smartest, smallest, or even wittiest. Rather, he won the race due to his laser-focus on the end result: the goal line.

If you struggle to keep momentum and motivation during your own quest to achieve a goal, you’re not alone!

Even though plateaus, setbacks, and relapses are completely normal when it comes to life-changing goals, there are many things you can do to keep the fire inside during the journey.

Try these strategies to maintain your momentum and motivation:

* Taking action ensures that you’re making progress, no matter how small. Even if you don’t know exactly what action you’ll be taking, just do something, anything, to further yourself. For example, If you want to lose weight, it’s important to burn more calories than you take in each day. If you want to grow your business, review business growth materials.

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* Find motivational nuggets. Take a few minutes  each day to read something inspiring, whether it’s motivational quotes or affirmations to keep your confidence going. Motivational quotes that inspire you can help transcend your mindset away from the daily grind and onto things that are bigger than yourself!

* Check your progress. If you’re feeling stuck or like you’re not moving forward, review your goal that you’re trying to accomplish. Write down your goals and check in on your progress each day.

* Think positively about how close you are to the goalpost rather than how far you are from it. Talk to another. Find another person who has already achieved goals similar to the ones you’re working on. If you’re goal is to get physically fit, for example, find a bodybuilder, runner, athlete or other like-minded individual whose been in your shoes. Extract all the wisdom, advice and helpful tidbits that you can from their story.

* Plan your week. Scheduling time to work on things related to your goals is critical. We use schedules for everything else in our lives, so there’s no reason that time devoted to working on personal goals cannot be included as well.

* Reward yourself. Small rewards have been shown to motivate everyone from kids to older adults. Rewards act as a positive reinforcement, and even affirmation of a job well done. When we’re being rewarded, we tend to continue pressing on towards our goals.

These are just a few of the things that we can do on a regular basis to keep motivation and ensure that we’re continually making progress.

The key word is “progress.” If we’re taking some action or doing even just one thing on a daily basis that furthers us along in our goals, we’ll feel better about ourselves and be able to keep that momentum.

Other things that we can do on a regular basis to keep momentum and motivation alive is to write in a journal, listen to inspiring talks,

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to discuss several ways on How to Strengthen Your Integrity.

How to Strengthen Your Integrity

Being honest and having strong moral principles isn’t easy. However, life is easier when you live with integrity. Others can trust you, and that trust is useful, even if it isn’t easily earned. Acting with integrity is harder in the short-term, but invaluable down the road. Life steadily gets easier when you act with integrity.

Live life with honesty and integrity:

* Work on your personal growth. Developing yourself is an effective way to strengthen your integrity. When you grow as a person, you become more comfortable with yourself and feel less need to be inauthentic.

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* Be reliable. Be on time, avoid cancelling appointments, and do what you say you’re going to do. If you say that you’ll deliver your report by noon on Friday, ensure that it’s done on time. It’s easy to be reliable if you under-promise. Make promises you know you can keep and you’ll never disappoint anyone.

* Be honest with yourself. Before you do or say something, question why you’re doing it. What is your real purpose? Are you being self-serving at the expense of others, or are your motives more honorable? Self-awareness is a primary component of integrity.

* Be gentle, but be honest. Do you people believe that you’re an honest person? Do you lie to be comfortable or to pretend that you’re something you’re not? However, honesty isn’t a license to tell a coworker that she’s fat or that her husband looks like a troll.

* Live by your values each day. If you’re unaware of your values, now would be a great time to figure them out and list them. Knowing your values makes it easier to make decisions. It also makes your behavior more predictable, which makes others more comfortable. Know your values and live them each day.

* Be willing to say no. When you say yes to things you don’t want to do, you’re not demonstrating integrity. You don’t have to take part in every opportunity that’s presented to you. Valuing your time is smart. Be honest and say no when you mean it.

* Be more confident. Confident people are comfortable. Comfortable people are better able to act with integrity. A lack of integrity is often a response to discomfort. You’re not comfortable meeting your new girlfriend’s parents, so you fake an alternate appointment. You lack the confidence to give a speech at work, so you stay home “sick.” The more uncomfortable you are each day, the more likely your integrity will be challenged. Confidence and self-esteem are the answer. Work on both each day.

* Stop doing the things you know you shouldn’t do. Are you stealing pens and post-it notes from work? Stealing your neighbor’s Sunday paper? Not putting a quarter in the kitty at work when you pour yourself a cup of coffee? Stealing napkins from the fast-food restaurant to stock your kitchen? Think about your behavior and adjust accordingly.

* Be willing to stand up for something. Most of us have values and opinions, but few are willing to even share them,

Over 10 years and going strong!  With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m going to discuss 4 Ways to Stop Procrastination.

4 Ways to Stop Procrastination

We’ve all done it at some time or other. We put off our exercise routine until tomorrow; we continually delay finishing that project or starting that business.

Procrastination is the mother of all demons and can literally stop you in your tracks from achieving all that you desire.

Here are 4 effective processes you can use to slay this giant.

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* Do it now

Hold your breath and jump right in! Putting things off until the last minute is a bad habit and like all habits is ingrained in our subconscious mind and hard to break. It feels like the normal thing to do and we simply continue along our path. To complete a task immediately may even feel strange or like a forced action.

* Take baby steps

Sometimes we procrastinate because the task may be intimidating to us. Perhaps we have no possible inkling on where to start. In these cases, it is quite fine to take it one step at a time. Say you are preparing a business plan and for the 5th time this week, you’ve turned on the PC and looked at the blank screen. Or you’ve just remembered you need to do some more research before you begin…you’re still not ready. You simply need to break down the project into smaller pieces and tackle each bit separately. Make each task an individual project and after completion of each one, celebrate and acknowledge your achievement.

* Forget it

Why force the issue? If you have been ‘dragging your feet’ on something for a very long time, it may all be for the best. Something, somewhere is trying to tell you something. That something is your intuition and it is usually right! Think about something that you have been putting off again and again and again. What are the reasons that you need to complete this task in the first place? Does someone want you to do this? What is THEIR agenda? What are YOUR reasons for this lengthy delay? I find it amazing that 99% of the time I put off doing something, I am thankful that I did!  Disregarding a project after a long period of procrastination is however usually a last resort.

* Support team

Do you put off tasks because you feel that they are too big and complex for you to handle alone? Or because you need assistance? Be honest with yourself. “No man is an island”. Ask for help! There are many resources out there that can provide you with all you need to carry out your job. If you’re a solo-professional and you put off answering emails, then don’t answer them yourself. Hire an assistant, find some college students that want experience, get a family member to help. Procrastinating on life changing activities could be as a result of fear of the unknown.

Get a mastermind group together, find a mentor, join a support group. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Just ensure that to kick this habit; you do what feels good to you in whatever method you choose. You’ll surely postpone procrastination for a very long time.

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