Did you ever read the book by Lance Armstrong, It’s Not About the Bike?

I read that years ago and loved it. Such a great story of an American icon overcoming crazy adversity and becoming one of the greatest athletes in history. It also goes into his background and his life as he was growing up.

For Lance it was about the bike, but it wasn’t. The bike was what he did but it wasn’t why. 

The bike was simply the mode in which things happened. The bike was success, determination, stress, anger, joy, life’s struggles. It was love, hate, adrenaline during a good ride, sluggish legs during a tough ride. It was everything that defined Lance, but it didn’t define him.

I was recently listening to an audio interview with Dean Jackson, one of the foremost experts in sales and marketing. The interview was about something totally not related to Lance Armstrong, but he was speaking about how everyone has “the bike” in their life.

Everyone has that thing that represents them and all of their life adventures, successes and failures. But that thing doesn’t define them.

I started thinking about this for me. Obviously the first thing that comes to mind is the gym. For Lance Armstrong it’s not about the bike. For me, it’s not about the gym.

The gym is my place. It really does represent all of those success moments, failure moments, dreams of owning my own business, playing by my own rules and being around only the people that I want to be around.

It also represents conquering obstacles. That’s where it becomes about you. 

Are you showing up every day for your workouts with a purpose?

Are you looking to get better- physically and mentally, every day?

Are you looking to push yourself to be just a little bit better than you were yesterday?

If not then you’ve got some work to do. I’m not blaming you for this because most people don’t even think about that.

I think about it because I can’t stand to waste time. I can’t stand to go through the motions. I won’t let anyone or anything prevent me from having the lifestyle that I want and that includes having the body that I want.

Life is too short. I know that sounds cliche but it’s true. Why go into the gym and screw around for an hour and not get any better?

I’m all for having fun, and we certainly do that in our training groups….but you better be working your ass off in between dancing and laughing

I hope for you some day it’s NOT about the gym. The gym is not the act of working out to just work out, to sculpt your muscles a little bit that day. 

Nope, it’s bigger than that. It’s the physical challenge of getting better. It’s the mental challenge of pushing yourself to do more, to lift heavier weight, to sprint faster. It’s the scary-as-hell challenge to walk into that studio and sign up for a training program when you haven’t exercised in 3 years.

Those things are all scary. But people do them. And once they do that they realize it’s really NOT about the gym. It’s about changing your life. Being a better person. Being more caring to the people around you because you care more about yourself now.

So what are you going to do today, tomorrow or the next day to make yourself better? To make the gym simply the vehicle to a better life?

Leave me a comment below or on Facebook telling me what you’re going to change. Go ahead and click “Like” above this post, I’d really appreciate it.

Here at Durbrow Performance Training we pride ourselves in not being like everyone else. That was always kind of my style….I didn’t want to do things just because everyone else was doing them. It took me like 2 years before I got an iPod because I thought it was kinda annoying that everyone was getting them.

Now I’m an Apple geek but that’s besides the point (a little bit).

I heard this expression once, “look around at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite.”

That’s what we want to do at Durbrow Performance. This experience for our training members is not to come in and work out at a regular gym. It’s not personal training. It’s not boot camp.

It’s a hybrid program. It’s a lifestyle. Members get personalized training in a group setting but it’s not 1 on 1 with a trainer which is super boring and it’s not a huge crazy boot camp of 30 people.

We rock out with medium sized groups so everyone gets attention and personalized care. BUT you get the motivation and the fun of having 8-10 other people right there with you, motivating you and pushing you.

You don’t find that experience anywhere.

I like being different

Our members like being different too and that’s why we are all enjoying the hell out of this.

Where else can you go on a Sam Adams Brewery tour with your training friends? (Even after making her do endless burpees she’s still nice to us, thanks Jennifer!)

Karaoke at a Holiday party at your trainer’s house? Not very many places do this and most people don’t have great singers like we do

Does your gym go on team building field trips to play dodgeball? Seriously awesome workout, BTW….

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all fun and games. We work hard too…..

Okay, REALLY, We Do Work Hard….

This program is not for everyone. It’s work, it’s fun and it’s getting out of your comfort zone on a daily basis. You can’t go through the motions. If you do, you’ll be the minority.

We like being different. Thanks to everyone who’s drinking the Durbrow Performance kool-aid. It’s just like a protein shake.

A few weeks ago I went to a seminar in California and we met up with one of the best branding experts in our industry. He challenged us to put together our brand in a simple and concise way. This whole process starts with identifying a few key questions.

I wanted to share this with you today because I really think this is a helpful exercise no matter what phase of life you are in.

Answering these 3 questions is critical and a little bit difficult. Check it out.

1. Who are you?

2. What are you about?

3. What do you stand for?

These answers are definitely on-going and the goal is to peel the onion back every time you do it. As Rocco, my friend and branding expert, described…..”you’re going to fuck it up a few times.”

That’s okay though. The idea is to develop the true sense of who you are and not just define yourself by your family roles, your job or what others think of you.

I have been working on this since I got back and every week I try to tweak it a little bit.

Here are my answers:

1. Who are you?

I’m Callie Durbrow; I’m a fitness freak, I’m stubborn, I’m going to tell you the truth or I won’t say anything and I play by my own rules.

2. What are you about? 

I’m all about efficiency in life and in fitness, I’m all about helping people discover that they CAN change and be happy with their bodies and I’m all about balancing your life in all aspects (fitness, family, career, fun)

3. What do you stand for?

I stand for authenticity, balance, health, drive and family

I’ll post an update on this once I peel another onion layer off. I encourage you to do this exercise. It’s harder than you think!

If you enjoyed this post just scroll up and click “Like” to show me some love. Leave a quick comment with 1-2 words about what you stand for.

Are you really committed to your success?

Do you understand what you want to accomplish with your fitness goals?

So many people go through their lives blindly just “working out” and not knowing what they want to accomplish. What do you want your body to look like? What body fat percentage do you want to achieve?

Are you just a slave to the scale and never really understanding how to change your body’s composition?

The first step in getting committed to your own success is to understand your goals. You need to realize what you want your body to look like and you need to throw out the scale. Seriously. That thing sucks and the only reason we use that at our training studio is to calculate each person’s body fat percentage.

If you’re just working out without a goal in mind or without a real dream of what you want to look like, you will probably get pretty unmotivated, pretty fast.

You’ll also never achieve any great success because you don’t know what success is and you’ll be one of those people that comes to believe that your body just can’t change.

I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. But you have to put in some work first.

At our studio we measure every client and get their exact body inches, we test their body fat percentage and measure those every 6 weeks, giving constant feedback on where they should be and we also snap photos every few months so they can see actual physical changes that they may not notice otherwise. (You know that you are your own worst critic and you never see the great changes that others see)

So that lays the foundation for them. Every training session they are striving to hit little milestones. Pushing heavier weight, using the heavier kettlebell for their swings, doing more push ups on their toes, using a lighter band for assisted chin ups.

It all adds up to feeling proud and successful.

Once you lay the foundation and find a program that supports what you want to achieve (and maybe even helps you figure out what you want) then you can start digging a little deeper.

Here’s where we have to dig through some bullshit. Everyone has it.

I want you to take some time and write out this letter. Complete the entire exercise and really be honest with yourself. Often times it’s not any big problem that’s holding you back from being successful, it’s just small things that add up and eventually lead to some serious self-sabotage.

Take 30 minutes and seriously answer these questions. Write or type them out, don’t just think about it.

1. Why have I failed in the past when it comes to fat loss?

2. What kind of goals have I created for myself in the past?

3. Were all of my previous goals centered around losing “weight”?

4. Have I ever been held accountable for fat loss and inches instead of just the weight on the scale?

5. What do I see when I look in the mirror?

6. How do I really define myself? (is this defined as your family role, your job or something deeper?)

7. What are the things that I self-sabotage? (do I let others get in the way of my goals, do I give up too soon?)

8. How does that self-sabotage or giving up stage make me feel after it happens?

9. What do I really want my body to look and feel like? (leave weight out of the equation here)

10. How can I create the ideal environment for my success?

Some of these questions are going to be long and detailed but that’s the point. Dig into this. Peel an onion layer away each time you answer the questions and if you feel a little bit uncomfortable, that’s okay.

No one has to read this but what you want to do is go back after 1-2 months and see if your attitude and outlook has changed. If it has then set some new goals. If it hasn’t, then you need to take a hard look at what is holding you back.

So many of our training members have broken through the B.S. phase and are now realizing exactly what they can accomplish and that their bodies and minds are stronger than they ever imagined.

Here are just a few of their success stories…..

How Jane lost 10% body fat and even pushes cars

Amber lost 30″ and discovered a new support system and family

Caitlin lost 9 pounds of fat and became mentally stronger

See how Lindsay lost over 20 inches while only losing 3 pounds (why the scale is useless!)

Sam Beard reshaped her outlook on nutrition and life and lost over 25 pounds of fat

Sam Lambert lost 3 clothing sizes and regained her confidence

If you’re tired of working through the B.S. on your own and if you need help laying the foundation then just click here for a 60 minute consultation with Callie.

Leave me a comment about what has been your biggest success in the last 2 months. I’d love to hear it!

Hey, I hope you’re doing great in your little corner of life. I was thinking the other day about how we all get into our “bubbles” and sometimes forget that there’s a life going on around us and outside of that bubble.

It kinda sucks and it’s a bit scary that with all of the technology, we are definitely able to connect so easily but it makes us distant at the same time.

Whoa, deep…..

I just wanted to take a few minutes to share some of the blog posts that I’ve written that were really special to me. They were the ones that really touched into what I believe in and I hope that they helped you out a bit too.

Remember that life is WAY too short, just try to be cool and take care of your body.

Enjoy!

61 Ways to Be Your Most Excellent Self

The 2011 Recap of Awesomeness 

The 11 Random Fitness and Life Rules I Live By

9 Ways to Live Life Aggressively 

My Love Letter to Fitness

Emily’s Journey

Here are some of my favorite posts by some folks that I follow regularly…..

101 Ways to Be Epic 

Heroes versus Cowards 

Nobody Likes a Grumpus

The Pussification of America 

Drop me a quick comment at the bottom and let me know one thing that you do to enrich your life. It can be super simple. Love to hear your thoughts!

Also just click “Like” at the top of the page to share this knowledge with the Facebook world

This post was inspired by Craig Ballantyne. Craig is one of the editors of Early to Rise, a great blog about mindset, lifestyle and business.

I wanted to share some rules that I live by. After some contemplation on this I realized there were many more but here is just a little piece of some of my life rules.

1. I read business, mind-set or motivational material on my Kindle for 30 minutes per day.

2. I never check email before 9am. Typically it’s later but that’s the cut off and I only check it twice per day, never on weekends.

3. I will live my life by my own rules.

4. I do some kind of mobility or stretching every single day when I wake up.

5. I turn off all electronics one hour before I go to sleep, this helps me relax and get ready for actual rest.

6. My workouts always consist of heavy movements involving muscle complexes to burn more calories and engage the entire body in an efficient manner.

7. I believe that everyone can change their lifestyle and I don’t engage with people who disagree with that statement.

8. I have cut out all of the vampires and energy suckers in my life and only focus on the positive people that care about me.

9. I take 2-3 minutes every day to remember where I started and how grateful I am for the life I have.

10. I get my mindset right before every single workout. Focus and music gets me ready to give 100% and never waste a minute of energy.

11. I have a daily, weekly and monthly calendar on my computer. Each day is color coded and time slots are blocked out for daily tasks. This keeps me motivated and on track with my tasks.

Bonus #1- I always give myself Friday as “my” day. I sleep in a bit, train hard and usually spend time with friends or go to a movie. Occasionally I’ll do a bit of work in the afternoon but I love this time for myself to unwind and enjoy the fact that I created my own schedule and lifestyle.

Bonus #2- I’m not religious but I do pray at the church of Brady. Go Pats!

One thing I realized a few years ago is that you must give yourself permission to lead a life that you want. Part of that is giving yourself permission to get your body into shape. It’s not just the physical side, but it’s mental and it’s confidence and overall energy.

If you’re ready to give yourself permission to change your life with fitness then I encourage you to come by for a free 60 minute consult with me.

—>Click HERE to sign up for your 60 minute consultation

I hope you had a great holiday with your family and friends. I was in Vermont for Christmas, we had a great time and even though it was just a small group of us it was still great. When I was growing up our holidays were typically like 30-50 people with lots of kids running around so it was crazy. My mom had 7 sibling so everyone got together at my grandmother’s house, especially on Christmas, everyone was just dropping by all day.

When my grandmother passed away we sort of lost our “home base” and people starting doing stuff with the other side of their family or just starting new traditions. It’s still weird going back to Vermont and not going there. But, we had a blast, ate some good food and got some cool gifts.

Now, it’s back on the wagon for me, gotta listen to my trainer.

Yeah you heard that right. I AM a trainer and I HIRED a trainer. This was a little early Christmas present to myself.

I love training other people, I love training myself and it’s rare that I don’t enjoy a workout. The thing that was becoming tough for me was designing my own workouts day after day. It’s much easier to have someone else do that for you and you don’t have to think about it.

Plus for me as a trainer, I think about every single angle and examine every exercise to it’s core just like I do for my clients. When I start doing that for myself it makes me nuts. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

So now I just get my workout plan each month and follow that. Since I know what I’m doing and I’m motivated to get the workouts in, John just sends them to me via email since he lives in NYC.

The other thing that’s been great about hiring my very own trainer is that I have someone to be accountable to. I talk about this with our clients almost every day. How having someone to report to and to tell you when to show up and what to do, is very important. As human beings we may not ALWAYS be motivated by our own devices every single day, but we don’t want to let anyone else down.

So I send John my measurements and progress every 2 weeks. Plus I know if I’m paying for this I better damn well do the workouts he sends

Plus, I’m putting this out there publicly for a little extra motivation, accountability and humiliation if I don’t reach it (joking)….my ultimate goal is to drop my body fat to 15% so working with John will keep me focused. 

This has been one of the coolest experiences for me because I can really just focus on my results and not think about each aspect of the program design. John is a really cool guy and a great trainer in New York. I’d been following his blog for a long time and I finally decided now was the best time for me. I was also recently reading how he has a trainer for himself.

Maybe for a while it was an ego thing, thinking I could do it on my own. Well obviously I can do it on my own, it’s my career. But, it’s just a matter of not wanting to and wanting to make my process much more streamlined and accountable.

I know these reasons are some of the top reasons our clients choose to train with us. We give them step-by-step instructions when they are in the gym and all they have to do is show up and work hard. We also give them the tools to succeed in their diet plan and with workouts outside the gym. Obviously we aren’t there to monitor that but we give them the exact instructions.

The other huge component is the accountability and progress. We have measurements every 6 weeks for every client and they have their scheduled workout times so instead of just “going to the gym” they are getting that structure in a daily routine which is proven huge for developing good habits.

I congratulate each and every one of our clients for all of their hard work and if you have not yet checked out our studio you can sign up for a free 60 minute consultation with me where we will dissect all of your personal and fitness goals, get you a body diagnostic test (measurements, weight, body fat) and help you develop a plan of attack for amazing success in 2012. Just click the link below to sign up.

—>Free Training Consultation

Here’s a video of me pushing the Prowler loaded up with 300 pounds. This was earlier this summer and my best push this fall was 355. Nevermind the fact that I almost had the Prowler flu after that one. Glad we didn’t catch that on camera…..

300 Pound Prowler Push (video)

]]> http://ultimateathleticfitness.com/why-i-hired-a-personal-trainer/feed 1 http://ultimateathleticfitness.com/cambridge-trainer-answers-your-fitness-questions http://ultimateathleticfitness.com/cambridge-trainer-answers-your-fitness-questions#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:00:11 +0000 Callie http://ultimateathleticfitness.com/?p=2190

Cambridge Personal Trainer Answers Your Fitness Questions

A Cambridge personal trainer Q&A post….

Hey I hope you’re having an awesome holiday season. I got a bunch of Christmas shopping done last week, thank goodness for online shopping.

This is the time of year that people start to slack on their fitness. I’ll start AFTER the holidays. How often do we hear this? Well the cool thing about our training studio is that most people are actually going to lose fat before the New Year. Nothing better than that.

Anyway, I asked my Facebook friends what their biggest frustrations and struggles were when it came to fitness. I wanted to answer a few of those questions today because I bet you can relate to some of these. Enjoy.

Callie I’m really starting to get into working out but I still find that I go back to my old ways of “rewarding” myself with food or treats if I work out consistently. What can I do about this?

This is a very common thing for people. Food has been used as a reward for us since we were all kids. You have to think about the actual benefits of this for your goals though. If you are training hard and eating well, you certainly can let yourself have a treat once a week. I do this on Saturdays. It helps eliminate cravings and can actually enhance fat loss if done right. The problem comes up when people do this too often. You end up derailing your progress all together. Instead of turning for food and saying “I worked out hard so I deserve this,” how about treating yourself with a new gym outfit, a pair of shoes, a massage, or a new handbag. Use short and long term goals so if you hit a goal with your training, let yourself have one of those things. Use a non-food related reward for each milestone that you hit. 

I’m trying to lose fat and get fit, how do I get my family members on board when it seems all they want to do is eat unhealthy stuff?

This can be a tough one but you can just start introducing healthier foods each week. Grab some new healthy recipes that are just twists on old favorites such as chili or meatloaf or spice up fish and chicken with some great marinades (stay away from the liquid ones though, too much sugar). Let everyone in the family know that this is your goal and you need their support. Stock up the house with healthy snacks and pack your day’s worth of food when you head off to work. Just like anything you need to slowly make changes, especially for someone who may not be as focused on it as you are. 

How do I keep my fitness and fat loss results going when my social life revolves around eating and drinking?

The key with this is to limit your intake to once a week. It’s okay to have a “cheat” meal once or twice per week but that’s where you need to call it quits. If you find yourself in lots of social situations past that once or twice per week you have to start making healthier choices. Opt for steak, chicken or fish with some veggies or a salad. If your friends know you’re in a healthy mode, they’ll be supportive. If you’re drinking just stick to wine or liquor to avoid the heavy carbs of beer. Pair each drink with one glass of water to stay as hydrated as possible. Plus you want to avoid the hang-over and greasy food binge of the next day. It’s never a perfect situation but just make the smartest choices that you can while you’re out. It’s all about planning in advance what you’ll eat or drink. Don’t make the decision as you’re sitting at the table. Most places have online menus so check it out beforehand and make the healthiest choice available. 

Stay tuned for the next installment of questions. If you have a question for me just leave a comment in the section below. Talk soon!

My love letter to fitness.

Besides my parents and my brother, you’ve known me the longest. You’ve been with me since before I can remember, in one form or another. It started out with bikes around the neighborhood with my cousins, then it was karate and soccer in the front yard. We had basketball in the basement, pretending to be the Celtics.

Soccer camp, my first overnight camp at UVM where I was scared to death. Middle school basketball where I was the tiny little 6th grader with high school coaches asking me “where I was going to high school.” (My town didn’t have a high school so I could choose).

You were there at every karate tournament when I won trophies that were almost as tall as me. You were there when Dad was making me practice “just one good move” with the soccer ball in the front yard. It’s all you need, you know. Once you perfect that one move you’re set.

You were with me every step of the way when I was doing sprints up the hill in the back land near our house. Dad wanted me to do that too. Even though I thought I hated it, I knew it was right.

On my first day of high school when I was the new kid trying out for soccer and absolutely scared out of my mind,  you were right there. You helped me with those shuttle runs where I beat out everyone and then the “cool kids” started to talk to me because I was good at soccer and super fast.

It was you when I was trying out for basketball as a freshman and made the varsity team. They said I was ready and I know it was thanks to you. Quickness drills, push ups, squats and sprints in the off-season. I didn’t really know it would pay off but looking back now, it did. Thank you.

You stuck by me all through high school when I was still painfully shy and without you and sports I would have been a total geek.

College. Man that was fun. You were there too. I kept playing soccer and basketball thanks to you and I learned what it really meant to be a part of a team so tightly bonded that it still gives me chills thinking about it today. You helped me make some of my best friends and you taught me that it’s all about putting your nose to the grindstone and straight up working.

You were there when I broke my leg during a soccer game in 1999. I thought you left me for a while and I was depressed. I couldn’t have you and I was in a cast for almost 6 months. It was torture. I lost everything you gave me during that time- speed, quickness and muscle.

I wasn’t giving up on you though. I worked my way back to you with physical therapy, swimming and biking until I could run again. It was only for 1/4 of a mile and I almost died but you were back and I wasn’t letting you go again.

Now look at us. You’re my lifeline. You have given me the greatest gift I could ever ask for. You’ve given me my ultimate lifestyle and you’ve made me happier than I ever imagined because I’m doing things by my rules and making other people happy and healthy.

You’ve been by my side when I’m a little bit moody or I feel like punching someone in the face. You’re there when everyone else is annoying or when I’m annoying myself. You always make it better.

All I need is just a few minutes of you. Once I get going in my own workout or in training a group with you right there, I’m the happiest person in the world. You have helped me surround myself with some of the most amazing people. Because of you I get to help them transform their bodies and their lives. Who could ask for anything more?

I don’t have any bad feelings toward you like most people. I’m weird like that. I’ve always been obsessed with you. You don’t bore me, you don’t waste my time, there are very few things I’d rather be doing. There was never a time that you weren’t in my life and I thank you for that.

You allowed me to meet my best friend. I never had a sister and now I do, because of you. You helped me connect with my dad. You’re what we do. You allowed me to be good at something for 25 years of my life. You gave my parents years of great games to watch. They really loved that. You got me out of my shell when I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. You have transformed a shy and self-conscious kid who didn’t have a clue except she knew she was good when it came to you.

Thank you, fitness. You’re everything to me. You’ve made my life completely incredible and when I look back, you’re there in every memory. I hope I can make you proud.