Your Worst Enemy

Your ultimate worst enemy, the one that always gets in your way, stops your dreams, goals, etc., is Doubt and Fear. Namely, parts of you stemmed from your ego.

Those voices inside of your head that puts doubt/fear into a plan that could be great for you. When you have the thought of "That would be a great idea!" "I think this will work", they say, "Are you sure? It will be hard", "It's too tough", "You don't have the time", etc. There is a huge laundry list of things the ego says to stop you from your dreams/goals/aspirations.

Those voices kept me in control until I finally stopped listening to the doubt/fear and started investing in myself: fitness, working out, eating right, and knowing that the results were not coming from a magic pill but a sure-fire process/program that was completed through hard work. I started at 225 pounds, and through the hard work I put in (and continually do), I lost 62 pounds and am in the best shape in my life.

P90X, Shakeology, and always thinking of what I'm going to eat was the way for me. Yeah, the workouts are long, but before my transformation I found myself spending an hour or more playing games, watching tv, etc. I still enjoy those things, but now at a more controlled, less addictive kind of way.


Now that I have the energy/body that I truly appreciate, I find it easier going on long walks with my dog, doing 5k's with my wife, spending more time at home, and overall having that "can-do" attitude - those voices do not control me anymore.

Being a Fitness/Wellness Coach now I enjoy helping those that want to achieve their own fitness goals. Those that tell me that they achieved their goals thanks to my help, motivation, and willingness to push them  is the best feeling. Fitness and Music are my two big passions, and I love every day working with those aspects.

I invite those out there that want to get REAL results to reach out to me by either message, email, or by comments below.
 
Brandon Shostak is my name - if you Google Search me you'll most likely come across my profiles.

Yes, it's scary to ask for help - but if you really want those results you've been looking for, if you want that energy to keep up with your kids/friends/family, if you want to look in the mirror like I did and when you are finished with a workout/program you say to yourself, "I did it" -- all you need to do is ask.

"You + Choice + Behavior + Habit + Compounded = Goals" - Darren Hardy

Keep pushing Play,
Brandon S.

Fueling your body right

Hey all -
Simple post: fuel your body in the right way.

-Stay away from sugar! Things that are labeled "fat-free" usually doesn't help; the sugar is still in there.

If you'd like to read a load of reasons why sugar is not good for you, check out this article:

http://nancyappleton.com/141-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health/

...now I want to put out there I don't 100%, fully support each statement; take it for what you will. All I know is that we all need to cut down on our sugar intake - it's really addictive, hard to get off the habit, but let me tell you - you will be better for it. Your body will thank you.

Eating right doesn't have to be crunching the numbers, always counting calories/fat/carb/protein/etc...it's bound to make you go insane! Plus if you start that radically rather than having a small, successful approach to it you'll find yourself falling out of it.

Tony Horton puts it as: look at your plate. If your great-great-great-great Grandmother could name the items, you're on your way.


Veggies, fruits, lean proteins (salmon, chicken, fish). It might seem daunting to change your eating habits but there are simple ways to make this food taste great - it just takes some discipline and setting up a plan that will work for you.

My routine is this: Oatmeal/something moderately high in protein for Breakfast, Lunch is usually my Shakeology, Supper is either a salad or something light.

Eat more frequent, less portions. I would say I eat 4-5 meals a day and my energy is through the roof! (Most days without coffee too).

Shakeology is my go-to meal :). It's a meal replacement shake with over 70 natural ingredients from around the world. Super-foods are slung through this rocker of a shake, and the combinations of flavors/recipes you can make are mind-boggling.

So, keep nutrition simple people! Don't overwork yourself in crazy-calorie-counting; I tried it, I went nuts!

Salads, Shakeology, and healthy snacks - I know it works for me, and I like to tell my workout peeps this:

Exercise is spelled - W-O-R-K-O-U-T
Fitness is spelled - N-U-T-R-I-T-I-O-N

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/healthy-eating-overview

20% is how you move/workout, 80% what you eat. 

Keep pushing Play,
Stakman (Brandon S.)

New Chapters in Development

Hey all -
Just finished Darren Hardy's Book, The Compound Effect. So charged up at the end, I'm ready to tackle the world!

The lessons in this book are pure diamond in value, yet so simple to understand. In the end of the book I was also thinking of my own goals, (Family, Fitness, Music, Work) and it all became clear what I had to do.

Like the book ends, it says the one thing that will get your goal-achieving process in motion: Choice.

Are you going to make the choice to invest in yourself?

I also had a great takeaway about doing the Unexpected/Extraordinary - quoted by Mr. Hardy, "What's popular is average, it's what's common. Common things deliver common results"

In your areas of your life, are you finally going to get going and decide to work on the Extraordinary work it will take to achieve success? I know I'm nowhere near finished, and I hope I never will be finished. It's what makes me push Play everyday; in Family, Fitness, Music, and Work.

 

Decide today and take ACTION on your goals. If that little seed of doubt creeps in, crush it into the ground, avoid the negative, and plan so your dreams become deadlines.

~Keep pushing Play~

Stakman (Brandon Shostak)

Takeaway Notebook

Hey all -
Been reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, and let me tell you - GREAT TAKE-AWAYS!

What is a takeaway? A snip-it of great ideas/tips/quotes/thoughts/etc that you take away from the reading. Not only do I highlight these, but I have an on-going notebook of all of my takeaways. It's a nice reminder to keep them fresh, and in different places, because the book might be stored away, but if you have it all written down you have a great collection of quotes/thoughts/tips/etc at your fingertips.

Today's take away is from that book, talking about influences in your life - having your own Board of Advisors on areas in life you want to improve on - and asking them to be mentors in those fields for you.

The great thing is, a mentor doesn't have to be in physical form - it can be in DVD/Audiobook/CD/Podcasts/you name it!

If you always keep in mind your top 5 people you associate with you can have a great advantage or a poor disadvantage at how you approach life.

Think of your top 5 - who do you need to remove? Add? Limit your association with?

Tough choices will have to be made, yes, but it's all worth it - the real tough decision is that question: are you willing to make the tough choices for the success you want?

While reviewing this post - I also venture on Youtube, so set my day right :) - I found a Great TED Talk by  Eduardo Briceno talking about the Power of Belief: check it out:

Make this day about growth, seeking out your own Board of Advisors, and always keeping that Growth Mindset.


Keep pushing Play,
Stakman
(Brandon Shostak)

A great tip to a more Happier & Successful Life

Hey all -
Super happy this morning, not only for good sleep, but also thanks to my coffee - love that stuff :)

Just wanted to post this message because it might seem suitable for some people out there.

A while ago I knew something was off, and I just wasn't happy - I now realize what the missing piece was: Gratitude.

If you wake up everyday, take 10 minutes lying in bed, thinking of the people that matter most to you, silently send them some loving thoughts, review 5-10 (or more!) things that you are grateful for, you will be shocked at how your overall outlook/disposition will be.

Below is a video I found through a blog called www.rawforbeauty.com - great site - various posts about health, yoga, fitness, inspiration, and overall great posts.

 

I'm all about moving/inspirational videos, and I thought this one just fit the bill - impromptu singing :). 

Now, I know there are some people out there that will immediately say, "Fake!", and I did look into it - Carlos Whittaker has a blog (http://ragamuffinsoul.com/ if you want to check it out) , writes in a later blog about how he hasn't met up with Danny since that video, and for what it's worth, it's real to me :)

So people, wake up keeping those Gratitudes in check - you'll be amazed at how your outlook will change for the better.

Keep pushing Play - fitness, wellness, dreams :D

Stakman