Mistrust Your Critics

"If you're not content with yourself, you'll stop taking those little steps forward and big steps backward." Greg Maddux, Hall of Fame Pitcher

I've worked with several MLB players who have faced Greg Maddux in their careers. The consensus has always been he's the best pitcher they've ever faced.

Most people don't know that Maddux wasn't recruited by any major colleges and passed by every team in the first round of the draft.

He didn't have a fastball that peaked scouts' interest. He would hit 90 MPH only occasionally and, even as a pro, only topped out in the mid to high 80's.

Though Maddux didn't fit the mold of an elite pitcher to scouts, he never doubted himself.

He believed that real pitching talent was the ability to change speeds, find hitters' weaknesses, and have pinpoint accuracy on the outsides of the strike zone. He possessed and developed that talent.

Where talent scouts recognized him as a sub-par pitcher because of his velocity and size, he turned that into a strength. That strength led him to be arguably the best pitcher of all time.

I specifically remember watching Maddux growing up. I grew up an LA Dodger and Colorado Rockies fan. Whenever Maddux faced us, I remember just feeling hopeless. He seemed to deal us out of every game. And he did it throwing 84 MPH fastballs! I don't know if I'll ever witness anything like his greatness again.

Don't believe your critics.

You may not be on the "radar" because of perceived limitations in talent. 

But talents come in many forms, and if you believe you have it, maximize it and have confidence in yourself.

P.S. Are you an athlete looking to maximize your talent and improve your physicality. Get started with us today with a FREE Athlete Evaluation. Fill out this Athlete Questionnaire and we’ll get you scheduled.

The Secret Touch

“When you have the ability to affect other people and be somebody that somebody wants to emulate, care enough to help somebody else for their benefit, that's what makes you a good teammate, and that's what everyone is looking for." Nick Sabin

A study at UC Berkley examined all 30 NBA teams on how much they touched during an NBA season.

The twelve types of touches measured were high fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, leaping shoulder bumps, chest punches, head slaps, head grabs, low fives, high tens, full hugs, half hugs, and team huddles.

The study group predicted that physical touch would improve performance. In addition, they believed the more teams did this, the more they showed cooperation and trust in each other.

During that study (2009-2010), point guard Steve Nash was making his second MVP run. He was recorded as giving an average of 240 high fives a game!

While Nash was known for his exceptional play, he was best known for being an unbelievable teammate, and it showed in how his team played, their success, and how much fun they had with that success.

At the end of the year, the study predictions were validated. Players and teams who touched the most performed the best.

The study believed these touches were a sign of cooperation, leading to efficient play and more wins.

Body language, celebrating your teammate, and picking up your teammates in difficult times all matter.

Not only did the study show that high fives and touches were a predictor of team and individual success, but the players who gave the most high fives earned more playing time.

The moral of the story, be a great teammate. Give high fives, fist bumps, and pats on the back. Pick up your teammates in tough times or situations. Always have great body language. Be enthusiastic and engaged.

I can almost bet if you get close to Steve Nash's high-five count, you'll start to infect your team with more cooperation, and start winning even more!

Athlete's Success Is Found In Their Schedule

The home page of Derek Jeter's Hall of Fame site says, "Derek Jeter's career was defined by excellence from beginning to end." 

Jeter was a 14-time all-star, 5-time World Series champion, World Series MVP, Rookie of the Year, 5-time Gold Glover and Silver Slugger, and has his number 2 with the New York Yankees.

His former strength coach, Dan Cavala, wrote an article after he was inducted that talked about Jeter's discipline, creating this career defined by excellence.

He wrote, everything important to Jeter's performance was scheduled and ritualized from training, to meals, to work, to rest and recovery.

To get and maintain this type of rigid structure, Coach Cavalea suggested asking yourself these questions:

• What do I do in the AM when I get up?

• What do I do in the AM before lunch?

• What do I do after lunch?

• What do I do after work/school?

• What do I do after dinner?

• What do I do right before bed?

These questions will help you as an athlete develop the habits and rituals to become the highest performer possible. These should especially include improving and executing valuable sleep, nutrition, and recovery practices. 

Training in skills and performance are usually the "easier" things to get done as a motivated athlete, but they are only a part of what it takes.

Coach Cavalea quoted tennis champion, Rafael Nadal saying, "To win, you have to be prepared to suffer."

There's nothing fun about doing all these things consistently. But this is the sacrifice that all great athletes and high performers will make to be the best for themselves and their teams.

Are You Better Than The Pros?

“Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise." Michael Jordan

This past weekend my son and I showed up about 30 minutes early to his basketball game. We had a hoop to ourselves, so I told him we would go through our shooting progressions. 

Shooting progressions are a series of form shots where you progressively move away from the basket. What we typically do is if you miss three shots in a row, you move back up to the closer spot. 

As we were moving through the progressions, he was getting frustrated because he would work himself back to the three-point line but then miss enough shots to move back to the front of the rim. 

He didn't want to move up. He wanted to get to his favorite spot, the three-point line, and stay there. 

I asked him, "Are you better than the pros? Because they come out here two hours before the game, do form shooting, and work on their fundamentals until they get it right. They earn their way to every spot." 

He didn't say anything. He just looked at me, took a deep breath, picked up the ball, moved closer, and kept shooting. 

Basketball performance coach Alan Stein tells a story about when Kobe Bryant invited him to one of his workouts at 4 AM before a Nike Camp. 

Stein said when he arrived at 330AM, Kobe was already going through an intense warm-up. Then he said, "For the first 45 minutes, I watched the best player in the world do the most basic footwork and offensive moves. Kobe was doing stuff that I had routinely taught to middle schoolers. And he was doing everything at an unparalleled level of effort and focus. He was doing everything with surgical precision. But the actual stuff he was doing was very basic."

Later that day, Stein asked him, "Kobe, you're the best player in the world; why are you doing such basic drills?"

Kobe said, "Why do you think I'm the best player in the world? I never get bored with the basics."

It doesn't matter if you are an eleven-year-old or a professional athlete. The basics should never bore you.

In fact, your obsession with the basics, as Kobe said, will be the only reason you will be the best at what you do.

For My Late Bloomers

“If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

This post reminds all those kids who are called too slow, too small, too weak, too soft to achieve their goals. Or those who have just arrived late to the game. It's about embracing rejection, putting a chip on your shoulder, and going to work.

When difficulties or unexpected change arrives, our initial response is to look for the easiest solution. 

It's human nature to choose the path of least resistance. It's the attempt to regain a place of comfort. 

The best thing that can happen when thinking like this is rejection. Rejection hurts. But what you will learn in overcoming is what changes your life. 

It reminds me of growing up on the mean streets of Colorado and playing lots of outdoor basketball. I was always one of the smallest kids. I didn't hit 6 feet until I was in college and I quickly learned taller, stronger kids had the advantage in this sport. 

As a small and skinny kid, I felt like I had two options: learn to shoot from really far away, drive in the lane and pass, or else get my shot blocked into someone else's yard. 

In taking this path of least resistance, this is what I did. The results were I didn't grow as a player and limited myself. 

It all changed when I decided I wanted an opportunity to keep playing after high school. I set up a meeting with the college coach, and in our 2-minute meeting, he told me I was too small, he'd never heard of me, and laughed at me out the door. I walked out disappointed but more motivated than I'd ever been. 

My assistant high school coach told me that if I wanted any chance, I had to get my shot off faster and get stronger. I made three focused decisions. 1) I was going to work tirelessly to figure out how to get my shot off, whenever I wanted to, against anyone, at any time. 2) I was going to strengthen my body to the point that I was doing the punishing. When I took it to the basket, I wanted my defenders to take the worst part. 3) I was going to be the aggressor. I was going to dunk on you if I could, but defense would be my calling card.

My focus helped me become good enough to where I was asked to walk on my college basketball team by the team's players the following year. 

It wasn't the path of least resistance. I got rejected a lot. I was told to give it up and told I was crazy to think I could play in college. It took a concentrated effort of thousands of hours in the gym, the weight room, and playing with people much better than me. 

When I made the team, the first thing I did was thank the coach for telling me that I was too small and unknown to play for him.

Rejection is a great thing. 

It will help you focus and concentrate on exactly what you need to do. It enables you to realize that nothing in this world can be taken for granted and that you must work and fight for what you want. 

It forces you out of your comfort zone. Not only that, but it motivates you to prove yourself and your abilities and brings out your competitiveness.

As one door is slammed in your face, it opens opportunities for much more. It gives you a chance to sharpen your focus and prove yourself and others wrong.

Yardstick of Quality

"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."

-Steve Jobs-

Environment is everything.

James Clear wrote, "Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. Despite our unique personalities, certain behaviors tend to rise again under certain environmental conditions."

This is why it is crucial for whatever environment you are in to be that yardstick of quality.

It matters, and your actions influence those around you for better or worse.

Steve Jobs believed some people aren't used to an environment of excellence. 

That is 100% true. These people need to be shown what excellence is. Their actions will change as they experience and accept excellence into their own life through knowing what is accepted and what is not.

They observe this through the leaders who make no exceptions or excuses.

Wherever you are, lead well. Be an example of excellence. Be the yardstick people can measure themselves by.

You'll be amazed at how your actions can change the culture of an entire team, organization, or family.

D1 Goals Vs. Standards

When I meet with athletes for the first time, especially those who haven't played at the higher levels yet, nine times out of ten, their goal is to be a collegiate athlete or pro. Many times, specifically a Division 1 athlete. 

Big dreams and goals are great. But when talking about the division 1 level, here are a few stats. For college baseball, 2.3% of all high school players play D1. For basketball, .9% of males and 1.2% of females play D1. For soccer, .9% of males and 2.4% of females play D1.

You get the point. If you are a division 1 athlete, you are in an elite category. And according to statistics, in most major sports, if you play ANY division, you are still in the top 10%.

This is where I bring up the difference between having standards and goals. Author Ed Mylet writes, "Standards are the actions linked to the thoughts you have related to your goals. Creating goals without creating corresponding standards is a waste of time."

Your goals will always be a by-product of the results of your standards. They give you something you can control, make habitual, and drive your discipline.

What might some of these standards look like? In a post called "I'd Give Anything," I wrote a few years ago, I laid out what these might look like for a basketball player.

-You are in the gym on Saturday nights while all your friends are going out

-You have to get up at 5:30 AM to workout before school

-You stay at least 30 minutes after practice to work on skills you need to improve on

-You watch and study your sport (entire games) while others digest the highlight clips

-You maximize your talent through extra skill training and dedicate yourself to the weight room

-Every drill in practice you compete, take seriously and work harder than anyone else

-You eat breakfast every day, pack snacks, and take your nutrition seriously

-You get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, so you have the energy to repeat your disciplines day after day

-You don't do things to jeopardize or harm your body. No drinking, no drugs

-You attempt to win every conditioning drill in practice

-School comes first; you get good grades

Everyone's standards are different. But, the examples I laid out above are the minimum to give yourself a chance to be in the top 1-10 percent.

And even if you do every one of these things, it still doesn't guarantee your goals. But without standards, your goals will likely fall short even if you are the most talented player.

Counterweight Leadership

"A leader is a dealer in hope." Napoleon Bonaparte

Last night the Kanas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that came down to the last play. 

On that last play, Bengals linebacker Joseph Ossai pushed the Chiefs quarterback as he fell out of bounds, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. This penalty set up an easy field goal for Kansas City to win.

You can't help but feel for a guy who makes this kind of mistake at the end of one of the biggest games of his life. When the game was over, he sat on the bench and appeared to be crying and emotional.

This morning I saw two different scenarios of how his teammates interacted with him. And it reminded me of a podcast I listened to last week about how great leaders are a counterweight to others' emotions.

One teammate sat on the bench beside him, hugging, consoling, and telling him that the loss was not his fault and to keep his head up. The other yelled, "Why did you touch the quarterback!" as they entered the locker room.

I understand how both could have happened. This was a highly emotional situation.

But, as a leader, you must always consider your response.

In the Huberman Lab podcast, Jacko Willink said, "As a leader, as a friend, a parent, a spouse, you want to be able to modulate wins and losses. If your kid walks off the wrestling mat for a high five and you say, 'you could have done better,' or tell your kid after a loss, 'you got what you deserve,' you've got to be the counterweight to the emotions that other people have. And when you are doing a good job as a leader, you are doing a good job at being a counterweight."

Being a good leader doesn't mean having a responsibility to tell people when they have done something wrong or pour fire on an already emotional situation.

Leaders are more like a bucket of water to put the fire out. As the quote says above, leaders are dealers in hope.

This goes both ways. If your kid wants to celebrate too much after a victory and starts thinking too highly of him or herself, it's up to you to help them appreciate their effort and bring them back to reality. After all, all glory is fleeting.

Willink said, "we have to find balance in life for ourselves and help provide that for other people because people are emotional and get caught up in what they are doing, and you want to help them stay balanced."

To be a great leader, be a counterbalance in high and low situations.

The Bucket Analogy

In a recent podcast, former NBA player and Duke basketball legend, JJ Redick, talked about a simple analogy he uses with his kids.

"If you want to have a full bucket of water, that's a goal in life. But all you can do is add one drop at a time, then just drop as many as you can. So every time you get in the cold tub, every time you lift weights, every time you have an hour shooting workout, every time you do your pre-game shooting workout, every time I do my post-shoot around shooting, it's all drops in the bucket."

A mistake we make with young athletes is thinking that the bucket has to be full at a young age. So instead of praising the process, we tend to criticize early outcomes. 

It's okay that kids have mediocre and even bad performances. That is a part of every athlete's journey. What's important is learning to understand the discipline that small drops make toward the full bucket of water. 

Have a bad game? That's okay; add another practice drop tomorrow. 

Not strong enough? No problem, add a strength drop tomorrow, the next day, the next day, and so forth. 

In the 25 years I've been watching athletes grow, those who live by this bucket analogy not only make it farthest in their sport, but become the most successful in whatever they choose to do. 

10 Protein Post-Exercise Recovery Snacks for Youth Athletes

Protein has an impactful role in post-exercise recovery.

You may have heard of the 30-minute, post-workout-metabolic window where your body best absorbs proteins and carbohydrates.

Though this theory has been deemed not 100% true, I still think it’s a valuable time to consume post-exercise protein, making it a habit-style ritual and ensuring it gets done. 

It’s not always easy to know what to eat after, and often we aren’t able to down a protein shake, so here are 10 Protein post-exercise snacks that are easy and generally available. 

1- 8 to 10 ounces of chocolate milk (my personal favorite)

2- Mozzarella cheese sticks and four wheat crackers

3- 6 ounces of Greek yogurt and a small banana

4- 1 to 2 ounces of beef jerky and four whole-grain crackers

5 - 1/2 cup of nuts and dried fruit mix

6 - 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup of trail mix

7 - Half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

8 - Single serve tuna pack with four to six crackers

9 - Kodiak granola bar

10 - Half of cheese and turkey sandwich

When Things Aren't Going Your Way...Good

"When things are going bad, there's going to be some good that comes from it." Jocko Willink

Two weekends ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, threw four interceptions in the first quarter of the AFC Wildcard game. Yet, against all odds, they went on to win that game, even after getting down 27-0.

In the post-game press conference, Lawrence referenced a video their coach had them watch weeks before. 

The video created the mantra "Good" for them when things aren't going well or as planned. 

He said after he threw his third or fourth pick of the game, one of his linemen said to him, "Good." It took the edge off and helped them reset, re-engage, keep fighting, and eventually win the game.

After seeing this, I looked up the video (above) and wanted to share it with you. It's a good reference point and a reminder of what your mindset should be when things aren't going your way.

Golden Chicken Nuggets

I've done a great job making my kids think McDonald's is a horrible choice for good nutrition.

Every time I mention eating there (jokingly), they make faces like they are grossed out and appalled at how I could even suggest such a thing.

They may need to read this post. It's a sports nutrition story about how Usian Bolt officially became the fastest man on earth, fueled with McDonald's chicken nuggets.

The stage is the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the Jamaican track team's coaches advised the team not to eat outside the Olympic Village.

Bolt could not find anything he liked inside the Village. He feared the Olympic Village food options would upset his stomach and hurt his chance of winning the gold.

Bolt wrote in his book Faster than Lightening that after days of struggling to find anything familiar he could eat, he said, "Forget this; I'm getting some chicken nuggets." That day he had 40 chicken nuggets, 20 for lunch and 20 for dinner.

From this point on, he only ate salad drenched in thousand Island dressing and lots of nuggets. He wrote, "I devoured around 100 nuggets every 24 hours. I was there for ten days, which meant that by the time the Games ended, I must have eaten around 1,000 chunks of chicken."

With this interesting diet, Bolt went on to win three gold medals.

Author Christie Ashwanden wrote in her book, Good to Go, "With 880 calories and 54 grams of fat, 48 grams of protein and 52 grams of carbs, twenty chicken nuggets where the protein and carb equivalent of more than two scoops of whey protein and 24 ounces of Gatorade, with a lot of fat calories piled on. (The nuggets also contained about ten times as much sodium as two sports drinks would provide.)"

Bolt didn't win three gold medals because of his diet. He won because he's the fastest man to ever live.

But the point of this story is that not all nutrition situations will be perfect for an athlete, especially young athletes. 

I've been to enough AAU basketball games to know that the best options are usually chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs at the concession stand.

If you have time to prepare your nutrition, it's always better to choose the better options, whole foods, fruits, nuts, vegetables, lots of water, and healthy meals. But if you don't, it's not the end of the world.

In a pinch, stick with something familiar. Aschwanden continued, "Those chicken nuggets were adequate, if not ideal, fuel to power Bolt through his nine heats, and help him recover his energy between them. Feeling satiated end not worrying about gastrointestinal issues are surely worth a lot to an athlete preparing for his most important events of the season."

Breaking Down the Back Squat

Over the next few months, I'm going to do a series every Tuesday on breaking down some of the movements we do in the gym, including set up, execution, finishing, and some of the cues I've found to work.

The goal is to give you some simple guidelines to continue improving these lifts and movements as well as give further instruction to my online clients.

Today is the Back Squat.

Purpose: Increase strength in the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, and calves. 

Set Up and Taking Bar Off the Rack:

-In the rack place, stand close to the barbell, feet shoulder-width apart. Place hands on the bar just outside of shoulder wide (can vary between people depending on mobility and frame).

-Step under the barbell, pull the bar down to squeeze your shoulder blades together to create a shelf on your upper back. Screw your feet into the ground and brace your core so you are in a stable position. 

-With your core braced and the bar pulled tight against your shoulders, extend your knees and lift the weight off of the rack.

The Walk Back: 

-Take a short step straight back. While you're doing this, continue to keep your core stable, spine neutral, and tension through your back and shoulders.

-Step back with the opposite foot and then get into the position you will squat in (feet slightly wider than hip-width and feet turned slightly out).

Execution: 

-Take in a deep breath, squeeze your glutes, screw your feet into the ground, and drive your knees out. Maintain tension through your shoulders and upper back

-Sit back your butt back, keeping your back flat and shins as vertical as possible.

-Lower to the lowest position you can control while maintaining a flat back and keeping your eye gaze looking at the ground a few feet in front of you. Try to work on getting as close to thighs parallel to the floor as possible.

-While lowering, continue to drive your knees out. At the bottom, pause for a moment while keeping the tension in your legs and core braced. 

-Think to push your feet through the floor, exhale and reverse the motion back to the starting position. 

Movement Finish and Racking the Barbell:

-Finish the movement by standing straight up, squeezing the glutes, and reestablishing the start position before the next repetition.

-Once you finish the given amount of repetitions, walk the bar forward, maintain tension through the body, and run the barbell into the rack before dropping it into the hooks. This will make sure you safely return the bar to the hooks.

Above is video that also gives a simple breakdown, highlighting many of the instructions and cues written.

Happiness and Going Hard

"I believe half the unhappiness in life comes from people being afraid to go straight at things." William Locke

It's easy to be lukewarm about our commitments.

After all, we know we can survive the day without being challenged. This is the comfortable society and environment we're accustomed to.

Dr. Marcus Elliot wrote in the book the Comfort Crisis, "You'll still have plenty of food. You'll have a comfortable home. A good job to show up to, and some people who will love you. And that seems like an OK life, right?"

In my business, I see it all the time. I want to lose weight; I want to be a great athlete; I want to be able to touch (or see) my toes again.

Then when the initial motivation wears off, we're back to enjoying our old comfortable life again.

It's currently happening everywhere right now, sixteen days into January. Maybe it's even happening to you. All that beginning-of-the-year motivation has already started cooling off.

But this is why I love the quote above. A lot of our unhappiness is driven by our fear of going after and committing to these things important to us.

It's easier and safer to live with excuses rather than actions. But, deep down, we know we're missing something.

As a psychologist at the University of Buffalo, Serry, wrote, "Confronting risk, fear or danger produces optimal stress and discomfort, which in turn promotes such as improved self-esteem, character building, and psychological resilience."

Dr. Elliot continued to write, "When you put yourself in a challenging environment where you have a good chance of failing, fear fades, and things start moving."

Happiness starts with choosing hard, then creating the internal standards, the courage, and action to pursue continually.

Coach K and What's Acceptable

Over 30 years ago, I fell in love with Duke basketball.

They were such a fun team to watch, and it was easy for me to relate to their 6 foot tall 150-pound point guard, Bobby Hurley, at the time.

Watching and rooting for Duke has been with me ever since.

I've also been blessed with some pretty cool Duke experiences, from working with former players like Brian Davis, Corey Maggette, Seth Curry, and Austin Rivers, to attending the Jay Williams senior night right behind the bench at Cameron Indoor. To this day, it's the best sporting event I've ever witnessed.

And through the years, of course, I've become a tremendous fan of Coach K.

Saturday night was his last game at Cameron Indoor. It was a sad day for me and many other Duke fans. But it also made me reflect on just how great he was and what an impact he made as a coach.

He is the all-time leader in wins in college basketball history with 1,170. He has five national championships, six gold medals, 12 final four appearances, 97 tournament wins, to name a few.

His character, principles, tenacity, love for his players, and desire to be great are everything a coach should be.

But probably my favorite thing Coach K has ever done, which speaks to who he is more than anything, is how he addressed the sold-out, star-studded crowd at Cameron Indoor after they lost Saturday night to North Carolina (video above).

After returning from the locker room, where I'm sure ripped his team up and down for their performance, he came out and said, "I'm sorry about this afternoon. That's unacceptable. Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And, I'll tell you, the season isn't over alright."

Then he walked off and sat back down. He wanted everyone to know where he stood on his teams' performance before any personal celebrations would begin.

On a day where everything was set up to be about him, he made it about his team, his university, the fans, and I know the competitor in him made him only think about getting to the next practice with his team.

We can only hope to accomplish a fraction of what Coach K did in his lifetime.

But he gave us exactly what we need in his short speech on where to begin:

• High standards and expectations

• Humility

• Thinking of everyone else first

• Ready to get back to working towards the next win

That's why he is one of the greatest coaches of all time.

Go Duke!

Head Hunger Vs. Real Hunger

We've all been there.

We're bored, so we eat mindlessly. Or maybe it's not boredom. It could be indulging in sweet, salty, fatty, crunchy, and sweet foods just because it's there.

The bottom line is it's eating for reasons other than actual hunger.

This is called "head hunger" and is one of the leading causes of obesity in adults and children.

So here's an excellent way to differentiate head hunger from actual hunger. You can use this for yourself, or if you're a parent, for your young athlete.

As a parent, if your child is crying about being hungry, offer them a healthier option--an apple or banana per se. If they say "no" and still reach for chips or cookies, it's possibly "head hunger."

They need to be taught to recognize this. Head hunger leads to over-snacking and overeating foods that are detrimental to performance.

If young athletes want to differentiate themselves, it's not just about how hard they work on their sport but how they take care of their bodies all day (nutrition, sleep, and recovery).

And as an adult, ask yourself the same thing. When you think you're hungry, instead of reaching for the most convenient sweet or salty food, ask yourself, How does an apple sound right now? Or, am I hungry enough to eat some steamed vegetables? You quickly recognize that maybe you aren't as hungry as you think.

Learn to recognize real vs. head hunger. It could save you a lot of wasted calories detrimental to your body composition or performance.

Sleep Is Undefeated

For the past two days, I've had conversations with three different individuals about sleep for various reasons.

The first was my daughter, who was lying in her bed, and I could see the bright light of her phone on. I explained to her that bright light would interfere with her deep sleep. She was supposed to be getting to bed early that night. The point--even if you're in bed at a decent time, don't let your electronics rob you of the quality of your sleep.

The second was one of my online nutrition clients. We were reviewing everything that he tracked for the week. Nutrition and training-wise, he was doing what he was supposed to do. However, he was only sleeping around 5 hours per night. So we quickly shifted the focus of his program to improving his sleep average. The point--they say you can't out-train a bad diet. But also, you can't out-train or out-nutrition lack of sleep.

The third was with one of my 14-year old high school athletes. He has been coming off of a significant injury, training hard with me and on the basketball court. One of his coaches suggested he do cryotherapy. His mom asked me my opinion on that. My question was, "Is he eating well, and how much is he sleeping?"

She said he spends too much time on his phone at night, and he doesn't focus enough on his sleep. My suggestion was to get nutrition down and at least 8 hours of sleep before you worry about spending money on something like cryotherapy. The point--supplements or fancy recovery modalities, will never impact the quality of your recovery like sleep.

Sleep remains undefeated when it comes to recovery, improving your performance, and getting everything you are trying to get out of your training and nutrition.

Check out this infographic, The Power of Sleep. It provides some easy-to-digest information on why sleep is important, five signs your sleep habits aren't working for you, preparing for a good night's sleep, and tips to better sleep.

Competitor Talk: Athletics and Life

"Athletics is like life. Sometimes you can do everything right and then still lose. It's all a journey. You do your best, and then you have to let go."

-Ken Washington-

A parent of one of my young athletes just wrote his thoughts on his son's recent elbow injury. He said we did everything right to avoid this, but unfortunately, it still happened.

Injuries, bad losses, getting cut from teams, bad coaches, all of these are things that athletes experience over time.

But such is life.

This doesn't mean you stop trying to do everything in your power to do things the right way.

You have to trust your process. If you do that, you'll expect the reality of sports and life, problems, disappointment, and adversity as part of it.

You do your best, and take what comes with it.

7 Days of Walking

The weather in Florida is starting to change. Our 2-weeks of winter and cold weather is hopefully over. We're looking at 70's and 80's over the next two weeks here!

That means it's time for my annual 7 days of walking post. This is the best time to get out, walk and enjoy the weather.

Walking may be one of the best ways to drop pounds, clear your mind, and get some fresh air. Here's a 7-day schedule that anyone can commit too. Regarding weight loss, I've seen people drop 100's of pounds by just committing to walking, eating vegetables at every meal, and not letting anything touch on their plate.

There are so many benefits to walking; it's a shame that more people don't take advantage of the easiest "exercise" you can do. Beyond the health benefits, it improves your mood, makes other goals seem more attainable, and gets the creative juices flowing.

Why do you think people like Steve Jobs, Beethoven, Aristotle, Einstein, Charles Dickens, and Fredrick Nietzsche all took long walks. The all said it calmed their minds while improving their ability to think!

No matter if you are in a training program or not, add some walking to your routine. Not only will it help with fat loss, but you'll have less stress, and be able to think with a clearer mind.

Monday: 1 to 3 Mile Walk Before Dinner

Tuesday: 10 Minute brisk walk after lunch or dinner, add 5 Minutes of planks, push ups, stretching (any time frame and any style) when you're done.

Wednesday: 5-minute warm-up walk, jog 100 paces, then walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 100 paces. Repeat four times then finish with a 5-minute walk.

Thursday: 10-Minute walk after lunch, 10 minute walk after dinner

Friday: Eat at your favorite restaurant. Park far away. Order something that makes you happy. Have a glass of wine followed by a glass of water.

Saturday: 60 minutes of walking. 10 minutes regular pace, 10 minutes fast pace

Sunday: Walk somewhere with your family, a friend or someone you love. Talk about your blessings, your goals, and all things positive.

Four Airballs in Five Minutes

"The signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency." Jim Collins

Watching the NBA All-Star game and the announcement of the top 75 All-Time group of players, I couldn't help but remember my favorite Kobe Bryant moment.

I remember this day like it was yesterday (video above). In June 1997; I was sitting on my friend's couch watching the NBA playoffs.

I was a Los Angeles Lakers fan at this point in my life. I had idolized Magic Johnson and watched him and the Lakers win multiple championships.

I wasn't so sure about this Bryant kid. An 18-year old rookie drafted right out of high school showed some flashes of greatness. But I couldn't believe some of the out-of-place shots he took. Especially in big games!

In the playoff game above, he shot four airballs in five minutes. Four!

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was screaming, "Pass the ball!"

But he didn't, and he kept shooting airballs, and they lost.

Little did I know, 20 years later, he'd become one of the greatest basketball players of all time, hitting 36 game-winners, the most in NBA history.

So why is this my favorite Kobe moment? Because, like no other moment in his career, it spoke to his mentality and total belief in himself.

This belief came from his relentless work ethic, desire to get better, and trust that he would one day be considered one of the best in the world.

There are always consequences in shooting "airballs" in anything we do. But having the guts to shoot eventually outweighs the implications of the present.

The inverse of the Jim Collins quote above would be that the signature of excellence is relentless consistency.

Be consistent is your vision for where you want to go. Be consistent in not just your desire but the actions you take to get better. Don't be afraid to take chances.

As you continue to pay the price with failure, hard work, and consistency, your name might just one day be listed with the great ones!