How NOT To Do A Pushup

If you've been following my blog long enough you'll know that fitness is a huge part of our life in the Garon household and sometimes we randomly just break out in some Kettlebell swings, pushups, jumping jacks, lunges, or whatever. It's my goal to ingrain into my son Brayden that life needs to be active and health is a huge factor to always keep in check and focus. Since moving back to Illinois and being around family they too have the opportunity to benefit from our lifestyle. My niece Brooke has been practicing some fitness activities with Brayden recently and when we got to pushups we ran into a wall. Without even giving her instructions, and just telling her to perform a pushup, she did what she thought was what she should be doing. Needless to say we laughed a lot. Ok... now we weren't laughing AT her, but just at what she was doing. She innocently was trying her best, but simply didn't know exactly what how to properly do it. We adults are like this too and often times our bodies won't do what our mind wants or sometimes our mind doesn't grasp exactly how to physically do something. That's okay. We just need patience and consistent practice at the things we want to get better at.

Check This Out: In the U.S., the average body fat percentage for a man is around 25%, while a woman it’s around 40%. Men should be at about 12% and women 22%. It take a lot of work to be healthy and people are generally lazy… so they get fat. Be encouraged today to make your actions reflect your goals.

One thing you can be certain that if you regularly perform pushups, even if you think you cannot there are always modifications to help you so you can(ie. wide leg stance for a stronger base), you will become much stronger in much more than your arms and chest because your core works a lot in the movement to stabilize your legs and hips. Give 5-10 pushups a go 3 times a day, at set times every day, and inside of 3 weeks you'll be able to do that many all at once.  Happy Trails!

The Biggest Enemy of Being Great

“I have nothing against millionaires, but I want El Bulli to remain accessible to a greater number of diners who appreciate what we are creating here." - Ferran Adrià

"Good is the biggest enemy of great." - Gordon Byrn

Yesterday I watched a DVD about Ferran Adria and his restaurant, El Bulli. For those of you who aren't familiar with the man, he is creator of a subset of the culinary arts referred to as molecular gastronomy. I was struck by two things about the man:

1) He is extremely passionate about food, more so than your usual chef--who are almost always extremely passionate about food, and

2) He went off and did something that was so out of the norm--which in hindsight was absolute genius--that he risked absolute disaster. Instead of playing it safe, going to culinary school, and getting a job working at a prestigious restaurant under a famous chef, went off and did something that was completely unique and groundbreaking.

In one of Gordon Byrn's blog posts, he said that one of his mentors mentioned that being good will hold you back from being great. If a person feels that they are good, they are going to get attached to that comfortable feeling of acceptance, and are less likely to go off and do something groundbreaking. It is very true that real genius is almost always misunderstood, and often times leads to dysfunction in other areas of one's life.

Okay, all this stuff is well and good, but where I really think my world and the world of Ferran Adria's cross is in the way of total disregard to perceived failure. When I take on new challenges sometimes I worry about being "wrong" or not "getting it fast enough." If I really want to do something great, I have to put these thoughts out of my head.  It is only when I step outside my comfort zone and feel some weirdness, discomfort, and awkwardness that I change and grow.

The fastest way to failure is not believing. The quickest way to success is believing and never stopping until you get there. There will be awkward moments and moments that take you outside your personality (comfort zone); however if you never experience that then you'll remain where you are, unchallenged, and never become better than good.  If you want to be great- believe you already are.

Namaste

Post collaborated by Michael Munson & Bob Garon

Omelet Muffins And Boy Are They Good Healthy Eating!

Omelet Muffins

As seen on Mark's Daily Apple.

I came across this recipe on Mark Sisson's blog called Mark's Daily Apple. Mark focuses on eating primal which is an understood version, and the best that I've read so far, of the Paleo Diet eating style.

The Omelet Muffins were officially created by Amy Schoenherr and submitted to a Primal Eating recipe contest. Although she didn't win, these quick and tasty healthy meal treats allow us with suPer crazy schedules to eat healthy on the go without having to stop by a Dunkin Donuts or Mickey D's for some juicy sandwich that's packed with pro-inflammatory oils, grains, trans fats, nitrates, salt, estrogenic chemicals (pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, & fertilizers, allergenic hidden corn products, and the list goes on.

Mark says it very well so I'll just quote straight from his blog: 

"This easy and clever variation of a regular old omelet can be made in batches of a half-dozen or more and eaten throughout the week. Amy’s muffins, made almost entirely from eggs, are little powerhouses of protein, fat, nutrients and flavor. Mixing in a little water and mayonnaise keeps the eggs fluffy and moist while they bake. Other than that, what you mix in for added flavor is up to you. Anything you love adding to an omelet – diced vegetables, meat, and some cheese if you’re so inclined – you can add to this recipe to create your own personal omelet muffin.


Keep in mind that while omelet muffins are pretty darn perfect for breakfast on the go, they’d also be great for a weekend brunch. Double the recipe and make a dozen. Then, make time to sit down with family or friends and enjoy the type of long, leisurely breakfast that’s so hard to come during the week."

As soon as I finished reading through the ingredients my mouth immediately began watering with hunger. So I forwarded this recipe to her email and said we've GOT to get this going. So she happily ventured to the store to pick up what we needed and then made it for our evening meal that night. All I have to say is WOW! I'm always looking for ways to make old things new and this is definitely one of my new flavorful favs. I posted it recently on my Facebook page and a lot of people requested the recipe. Soooooo..... without further ado... here it is. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup cooked meat, cut or crumbled into small pieces
• 1/2 cup diced vegetables
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• 1/8 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 cup water
• Optional Ingredient Idea: Make a Mexican Omelet Muffin by adding 1/4 cup shredded cheese, onions, and lightly drained salsa to the eggs.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 6 muffin tins with butter or coconut oil or for easier removal line with paper baking cups. The baking cups also help the muffins hold their shape.
In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add meat, vegetables, salt, ground pepper, and any other ingredients and stir to combine.



Spoon or scoop into the muffin cups.



Bake for 18-20 minutes until a knife inserted into the center of an muffin/omelet comes out almost clean. The omelets will continue to cook for a minute or two after removed from the oven. Remove the omelets from the muffin cups and serve, or cool completely and store for another day. Here's a pic of my finished products:

One is Swiss(raw) and Organic non-Bacon the other is Apple, Almond, and Cinnamon.

By the way, if you haven't connected with me on Facebook yet now's your chance.
I've got my page right here and I post a lot of my recipes there.
Click Here: Bob Garon's Facebook Page

Never Do Cardio Exercises Again and Burn Fat Better

 

This guy NEVER does "cardio" and I've said for a long, long time that stead-state cardio is a big waste of time. It will not make you stronger, leaner, or in better shape compared to other- and shorter- means. The secret formula to being in great shape and being 100% healthy is simple. Don't confuse simple with easy. By using the word 'simple' here I'm meaning essentially it's quite basic.

I have always been a firm believer that what you practice should be a direct reflection of your goal. If your goal is to swim the English Channel you better jump in the water and do a few strokes. If you want to be a college grad, well enroll, go to class, and then hit the books. If you want to climb Everest then I suggest getting started by climbing some smaller peaks around town and working on your Hypoxic Training. If you want to be better at pullups then I recommend a program suitable for that goal. If you want to be a good bowler, well... grab your balls and toss em down the lane.

If you want to be healthy, have a lean body, overall great well-being then this is what you needs to be doing in order to achieve optimal fitness:

1. Perform full-body movements that force the body to work multiple joints at once.

2. Instead of doing crunch after crunch (in every range that you can think of like decline, side, reverse), focus on training your abs and core the way they were meant to be trained. Make them stabilize your torso in full-body movements.

3. Interval Train rather than long boring stead-state cardio that is just so time consuming more than it ever is effective. I'll give you some great interval training workouts for you to practice in a few days. Check back.

AND HERE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF THEM ALL:

4. Only eat REAL FOOD, as close to nature as possible and focus on vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, grassfed meat, wild caught fish, whole eggs, raw (unpasteurized) dairy, and healthy fats such as virgin coconut oil, EVOO, high fat cacao, walnut oil, etc. Limit, and best eliminate, any and all grains and refined carbs to an absolute minimum.


So again, remember that whatever your goal is your daily practice reflects it perfectly. If it does not, well then you'll experience results according to your practice.

Dr. Groovy Radio Show Interviews Bob Garon

The other day I had the very special privilege to be on the Dr. Groovy Show over at the Aurora University radio station with Charlie Betts. It was a great experience and I'm glad that I was able to share the amazing fat loss, increased strength, and muscle toning benefits of kettlebell training.




Listen to Charlie on the Dr. Groovy radio show HERE.

AND... Swing by to see me and get YOUR FREE Test Drive: http://SynergyKettlebellKamp.com

Olympic Ideals, Worry and Get Out Of Your Own Way

"Sean, worry about yourself." - Sean Killion's mother to her then 8 year-old-son

I will never forget the first time I saw Sean Killion.  It was the fall of 2002 and my buddy and I were on the pool deck waiting to hear this gentle giant, one of the greatest American swimmers of the past 20 years, talk about the nuances of the freestyle, and our coach approached this unknown person and they started talking very intently. The person in question was wearing an Oakland Raiders visor, flip flops, a North Face sweater vest, and looked like he was carrying about 50 pounds of dead weight on already his hulking frame. In short he looked like a former professional football player that had mistaken the entrance of the pool somehow to the weight room. But sure enough, this character was one of the greatest American swimmers of the past twenty years--none other than Sean Killion. 

As it turns out, Sean held the American record in the 400 freestyle for almost 17 years. Additionally, he beat Vladimir Salnikov--the Michael Jordan of distance freestylers--in the 1986 Goodwill Games. More importanly, Sean was able to takethe skills he learned in the pool and transition them into a brilliant career and marriage. There are few things that he talked about that I have been pondering on, and want to get them out into the internet. Here goes:


  1. Worry About Yourself

Sean said that when he was growing up in New Jersey, he had a tendency to complain about things that were outside of his control. Mrs. Killion, being a wise and integrated human being, told her son, "Sean, worry about yourself." He said that was the best advice about life that he ever got. Maybe this is why Mr. Killion was able to accomplish so much: he listened to his mother, and he mastered a very difficult lesson at a very young age.

The way I see it, a human being only has so much energy. Holding this constant, this energy needs to be put to the highest and best purpose each day. Any energy spent worrying about things that are outside of one's control, or are things that others should be doing but aren't, is energy that could be redirected towards the task at hand. I am not saying don't be compassionate, or don't be concerned about family members. What I am saying is focus your energy towards the things of great importance and let the unimportant stuff go.

An example: At every workplace I have EVER been to, there are always a group of people or groups of people who love to talk about the ongoing of the office, who did what to whom and how, etc. I have never seen the thought leaders of the company engage in such behavior, they usually have their head down at a computer trying to figure out how to solve the real issues of the company. Case in point: If you want to be amongst the best at anything, keep your head down and worry about yourself. [Unpacked: Essentially stay focused, never give up, and if you fail get right back up and keep trying again until you succeed. Don't let anyone or anything distract you from your goals. Set your own standard.]

2. Get Out of Your Own Way

At one point during Killion's talk, someone asked him, "How did you beat Salnikov?" At the time I had no idea who Vladimir Salnikov was. As far as I was concerned, Salnikov was Russian computer virus. A wry smile appeared on Killion's face, "Well," he said, "I just sort of got out of my own way. I had been training hard and feeling good in competition. I kept my head in my race and didn't worry about what Salnikov was doing. He made a slight mistake in his race, and I was able to capitalize on it."

Lots of times I think about epic performances being full of tricks or special knowledge. Most of the time the greatest performance in any arena are so basic that they almost seem magical. And in just focusing on the basics and getting the job done, you put yourself in a position to win rather than a position to lose.

3. Managing Your Highs and Lows

The last thing that Sean talked about while on deck was this: perceived success and failure is just feedback. Everyone will have "bad" days and everyone will have "great" days. If one can use success to stay focused on what is working, and use failure to correct the things that need work, then each day is a step in the right direction. If you can have that mentality with whatever you do, then you will consistently have satisfying results.

While I was working in public accounting, I knew early on that it wasn't the right career for me. Even though I have moved on, there are still a lot of wonderful little tricks that I picked up from those years. All experiences--in some way or another--can be used as direction to become the person that we want to be.

Author: Michael Munson lives in Phoenix, AZ and is one of my Girevoy Sport (G.S.) Kettlebell Students who regularly practices endurance swimming, running, and high intensity workouts. To read more of Michael's work follow him here: http://www.zenaccountant.blogspot.com/