Like many of you, I take time at the beginning of the new year to plan and set goals for the coming year. As I do that I also reflect on the past, not just the previous 12 months but the many other years that have gone by as well. At my age, you realize 20 years goes by pretty fast.

In this photo, taken in 1993, we’re actually in what I like to call our “first expansion space”. We had grown from 900 sq.ft. to 2000 sq.ft. in 1991. We were located just a few blocks from here on North Meridian Street at that time. Look closely, you’ll see David Davis, who now owns and operates his own Carmel personal training studio on Rangeline Rd. I was holding the camera, Steve Smith was just out of shot, and Lisa was probably cleaning the locker room. Chad Distler was in the midst of his football career at ISU throwing touchdown passes, and would join us after graduation in ‘ 96.

I look at that picture with gratitude and amazement, thankful for the good times and good people who’ve come through our doors. Whether you started at FBD in 1991 or 2009, thank you for coming back again and again. And thanks for the memories.

Regardless of the things that change over the years we remain committed to providing our clients with great service, great energy, and great results. Our passion about helping people reach their fitness goals and change their lives is stronger than ever. I’m looking forward to looking backward this time next year.

(Lisa wanted me to add this photo. No wonder she couldn’t resist.)

Rob Hudson...back in the day.

Who doesn’t want to be fit?  Well, maybe that guy isn’t.  He’s probably not interested in the secret to getting fit in 2010.

Before you waste any more time looking for the fitness secret…here it is:

THERE IS NO SECRET!

Do yourself a favor and quit looking for the secret. There’s no magic pill, no secret technique. No tricks or gimmicks. The way to get fit is to exercise…most everyday. On some of those days, you will have to push yourself to the point of fatigue. It won’t be enough to just break a sweat.

Now, make no mistake, it’s better to be active than to simply sit on the couch eating a bag of chips and drinking a Coke. But don’t confuse being active with being fit. (See definition of fitness.) Many people would benefit from being more active but real progress toward fitness will take more.

Part of getting fit is managing your calories. How strict the management is will depend on your goals. Maintaining weight isn’t going to be as hard as getting lean. If you want to get lean, it will require knowing the exact number of calories your body is going to need and the exact number you’re putting in it.

I guarantee. If you combine exercise with calorie management, you will be well on your way to becoming fit in 2010. The personal trainers at FBD are here to help you with that goal.

Boot Camp has been my focus during 2009. It has been a good year. The class has continued to evolve and we’ve added more tools along the way.

FBD Boot Campers Working Hard

Lots of great people have worked their asses off this year. Those who have stayed committed to the classes would probably say they’re in better shape than they’ve every been in.

People have experienced increases in their strength, endurance, and energy, as well as the way they move. Some made the critical connection between nutrition and working out which helped them reach significant weight loss goals. Most would say their overall quality of life is better.

Throughout the year we saw a lot of new faces in the boot camp. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are not with us now. In truth, this workout is not for everybody. For some people it’s too much hard work. People may like the idea of being fit but when it came down to it they weren’t really serious. They may have been looking for something that was easy, comes in a pill, calls itself pilates, or only requires 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical.

I’m not looking for just anybody to be a part of my boot camp classes. Though I’m not necessarily looking for athletes, I am looking for people who are physical and mentally strong and willing to work their ass off. They commit to the process, and then they show up!  They try to do their best every time.  They have a strong work ethic without whining or complaining.

The people who stick with our Boot Camp are people that enjoy working their asses off.  They come into the room knowing they will be challenged beyond what they would do to themselves, and that is what they want. Even though they may not know what the day’s workout will be, they do know it will be different than the one the day before and they will be pushed.

Fitness by Design boot campers feed off each others’ energy.  Ellen probably said it best when she described that if the person next to her could finish the round going strong, then so could she.  We push ourselves to our limit, and then sometimes beyond, just so we don’t quit before that damn buzzer rings.

If you want to act like a kid again in a workout, this is where you want to be. We do things in our boot camp room that most adults would never consider doing again.  Hand stands, bear crawls, rope climbs, burpees, traveling broad jumps, jumping on boxes, crawling with a wheel attached to your feet, the list goes on. Just think about all the things you can do better now than you could do last January.  You can jump rope faster, you can do chin-ups without assistance, you can do more push-ups, you can sprint faster and longer distances, you can bench press more weight or rack squat more weight…you can jump on a higher plyo box, you can climb the rope, you can power wheel crawl more yards! And you can row 500 meters faster.

You may not think you are an athlete, but we do.   Your body is built to be athletic, and we will train you that way.

We are gearing up for 2010 and are looking forward to seeing more people changing their lives and bodies. As you’ve come to expect, we’ll be adding new tools and testing methods to help you improve your physical performance in addition to your appearance. If you have any friends with the right attitude and commitment level that would inspire you, please send them to me…I’ll be gentle with them the first day.  Well…maybe I won’t.

[recently posted this to my Smaller Indiana page]

A recent newspaper had an insert with the headline, “America Loves Cake.” On the back of that insert was a full page ad for Nutrisystem.  Makes sense. We are in love with dessert (and sugar, and fast food, and buffets, etc…). It’s no wonder we struggle with so many preventable chronic diseases.

Health care reform is a red hot topic of debate  but not enough is being said about the benefits of exercise in preventing the typical health issues and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. America needs a lifestyle overhaul. We need fitness reform.

Kudos to the American College of Sports Medicine for their letter urging President Obama to emphasize the importance of exercise and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle and as a way to lower the cost of health care. In their letter to the President, the ACSM stated that, “Physical activity has been shown in studies to prevent and cure numerous chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more.”

Certainly, improved health screenings will help catch problems early and thus save more lives and reduce long term costs, but what if we didn’t get sick in the first place?

At Fitness By Design we get to see first hand the impact of lifestyle changes on people’s personal health. Clients who get on track with their nutrition and start exercising regularly experience significant change in their health. Many are able to reduce or eliminate their need for certain drug prescriptions, reduce back pain, reduce injuries, and improve their overall quality of life.

We think it’s time for Fitness Reform. Get fit America!

From the Positivity Blog. Definitely applies to getting fit.

“The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.“
E.M Gray