Are you tough enough?

Below is an excerpt from an article on addicted2success.com. It is advice from Sports and Performance psychologist Justin Sua on being mentally tough and how it translates to success. Below is a link to the complete article. Great stuff here, Enjoy!

Are you mentally tough enough?

 

1) They don’t feel sorry for themselves

They understand that complaining doesn’t make the situation better.

They know that people won’t treat them they way they want to be treated, circumstances might not be ideal, and they will experience adversity; however, rather than complain about the negative aspects of their situation, they focus on what they want to happen and what they’re going to do about it.

 

2) They don’t give people power over them

They are not people pleasers.

They are relentless in their pursuit of their passion and aren’t worried about what other people think.

They give power to what they focus on, and if they waste their time focusing on the opinions of others, they lose sight of the things that will make them truly successful.

 

3) They don’t avoid change

They are always looking for ways to evolve. They believe that if they continue to give their best, their best will continue to get better over time.

With the competition continuing to get bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter; it’s important to have the mindset to improve by learning from successes and failures.

 

4) They don’t play small

The mentally tough swing for the fences and know that it might mean striking out a few times (or many times). Their purpose for achieving greatness casts away their fear of failure. They refuse to tip-toe through life, they intend on creating a legacy for the future by making an impact in the here-and-now.

 

5) They don’t focus on things they can’t control

They refuse to waste time focusing on things they can’t control because there is nothing they can do about it!

They understand that the less control a person feels the more susceptible they are to making poor decisions, falling into bad habits, and crumbling under pressure.

http://addicted2success.com/motivation/5-things-mentally-tough-people-dont-do/

Quinoa, the Best Thing Since Gluten-Free Beer!

What is quinoa you ask?

qui·noa

noun

a tall crop plant, Chenopodium quinoa,  of the amaranth family, cultivated mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile for its small, ivory-colored seed, which is used as a food staple.

And why is it so great?

First you must know that I love starches. Potatoes, beans, and wheat. But I especially love RICE! Do you know what all these things have in common? None of them are primarily gluten-free. This made my transition into the DDP Yoga lifestyle a little more daunting that I 1st imagined, until one day Joelle (my wife if you haven't been reading this blog long) discovered quinoa!

At 1st I was sceptical.

It looked like rice. It kinda had the same consistency as rice. Hell, it even had a similar smell while it was cooking! Only one thing was left to do, see if it tasted like rice.

And...

It took a moment, but DAMN this was good. I loved the after taste the most. It left me wanting more. This opened a whole new world of possibility! Asian style stir-fry cuisine that was before forbidden with my gluten-free lifestyle was now within reach using fresh veggies, grass fed beef, gluten-free marinade and quinoa! It has become my go to side dish and has made living this life easy! No more mashed potato and rice cravings, I'll take a helping of quinoa please.

Now that I've shared a gluten free treasure, what are some of yours?

An Update for my Random Milestone Results!

Yesterday marked my 50th day on the DDP Yoga program. I know that in this program the milestones are done in increments of 30 days but I am proud of what my first 50 has produced so I am gonna share the results.

My starting weight was 228 lbs, on day 50 I weighed in at 212 lbs. A 16 lbs difference!

My starting Jeans size was a 35. On day 50 it was down to a 33! That is my target waist size, because it was my Jean size when I was fighting professionally!

I am overwhelmed with joy for my progress so far but know that the work is just starting. A good 50 days does not a healthy life make.

I will continue to kick ass and be inspired by people like DDP, Ian Rogers, Christina Russell and all of the other members of Team DDP Yoga. And maybe, just maybe I can inspire a few folks along the way!

BANG!

Day 50

It's a random day to weigh in, but I did and I'm down 16 lbs, 228 to 212...

BANG!

Back in the Saddle Again!

It's been about 2 weeks since I've blogged. I was Detroit for work (that town gets a bad rap by the way!) and then came home to 2 different family emergencies. Two emergencies, two completely different sides of the emotional spectrum, but both equally draining.

I am however, proud to say that since coming home from the "D", I managed to get my DDP Yoga in 5 out of the 6 days amid work, my children and family crisis. My sessions were one of the things that kept me sane during it all. This program and website have been such a blessing. Even when I don't have the time to post I always try to catch a blog a day to keep the fires burning within.

One member I have to give a major shout out to is Ian Rogers. His video blog flat out rocks and he is constantly tweeting me when he posts them so I can make sure to take a look. He is inspiration personified and if you are not a member of his group on here, get there!

So who inspires you? What keeps you going and how do you focus when life throws you a knuckle ball? Because this week I got knuckle balls not curves!

Lessons Learned

I've never been the type to take direction very well. I'm more of a find out for myself kind of guy. A year or so ago when someone brought up "The Caveman" diet, I dismissed it as limiting yourself of some of the great pleasures in life and said it just want for me. Fast forward to today and I am doing a no gluten or dairy diet that resembles the very thing I brushed off as foolish in 2012. I consider that a lesson learned.

Just this Sunday I learned another valuable lesson. I have been loving the feeling of being healthy. It is such a natural high with energy boosts and positive body changes that make me a happy man everyday. But, with a good friends wedding on the horizon I figured what would it hurt to let loose a little and have fun like we did when we were kids. I forgot one thing, I'm not a kid anymore and it did hurt, A LOT! We all had a blast as shots of whiskey rained down, until that is, they came back up a few hours later. I was sick as a dog for close to 24 hours and was even much to under the weather for last nights DDP Yoga session. I watched Joelle as she kicked ass and I laid there helplessly.

I realized that living clean and doing Yoga 7 days a week is way more fun than over serving myself and paying the price for a full day afterward. But don't worry I made up for my misdeeds this morning. I banged out Fat Burner and Red Hot Core and when Joelle gets home from work tonight we'll do Below The Belt together.  Double sessions for this bad guy!

I paid the price for letting my stubborn pride get in the way and indeed had a lesson learned. On the bright side from what I hear I did have a blast at the wedding ( although I don't remember much) and thankfully I have photo evidence to prove it!

Ready to Rumble

With dedication comes opportunity. I truly believe in this. We make our own breaks and with my dedication to a healthier lifestyle another opportunity has arrived. I received a call last night from a friend with a request. He has just made a commitment to his first amateur MMA fight this coming November and he has asked me to train him for it.

Now besides the obvious honor, that someone respects my ability and experience enough to guide them to their first fight, it also reaffirms my commitment to this lifestyle. Before DDP Yoga I would have been worried that I wasn't in good enough shape to train someone. I would have dreaded getting "back into shape" and may not have accepted the invitation. But my health and confidence are sky rocketing once again and you can bet your ass I will be incorporating DDP Yoga into his training regimen. Get some rest buddy, because come Sept 1 camp starts and you're gonna need it!

Own Your Life

30 Days in!

What's Your Roadblock?

All my life I have had one and only one roadblock in between me and my path to success. Me. Whether personal, professional or physical health, I have been my own worst enemy. I spent too much time wondering what other people would think of my choices and what they'd say about me when I wasn't there. I didn't realize until I was about 26 that it just didn't matter what they said, it mattered what i did! I laid to rest all of the self doubt that I built up from previous mistakes and moved forward.

When I decided to start a career in MMA at the age of 26 after 9 surgeries and losing 100 lbs they thought I was crazy. I did it anyway. 

When I decided to completely change my dietary habits and adapt a 7 day a week yoga lifestyle, they asked what happened to the real Scott? Well, 1 month and 10 lbs down, I'm doing it anyway.

You see, people will always doubt the unfamiliar and those people will never succeed. But the only person who can truly stop you from succeeding is you. If you will listen to the doubters you will fail. If you listen to yourself and do what you know is best for you, you cannot fail!

Own Your Life

A Protein Power Lunch!

Turkey Burger, an Egg, 2 mini-Sweet Potatoes, topped with fresh onion

Diamond Cutter Just Kicked My Ass!

Own It!

I Did a Bad, Bad Thing

We missed a day of workouts. There, I said it, it's off our chests and our consciences are clear. It's not something we're proud of, but yesterday life happened and yoga did not.

Joelle and I both worked from 10am to 8pm, picked up the kids, got stuck in traffic and by the time we got home, put them to bed and cooked supper it was 10:30 pm. It just was not in the cards and I do feel horrible about it. I ended up doing 100 push ups and pull ups but it is not the same. I take a little solace in the fact that, on Wednesday (a scheduled day off) we did the Energy workout as a bonus.

We vow that this is an anomaly and not a regularity. Tonight we have our very 1st Diamond Cutter workout and our missed opportunity last night fuels us to hit the Diamond Cutter that much harder!

Beers for a Gluten Free Buzz!

GLUTEN-FREE BEERS:

1. Redbridge by Anheuser-Busch – Red Lager
2. New Planet Tread Lightly – Blonde Ale
3. Bard’s Tale Dragon’s Gold – Brown Ale
4. Dogfish Head Tweason’ Ale – Fruit Beer
5. Green’s Discovery – English Strong Amber Ale
6. New Planet Off The Grid Pale Ale – American Pale Ale
7. Green’s Quest – Belgian Tripel
8. Brunehaut Ambree – Amber Ale
9. Green’s Endeavor – Belgian Dubbel
10. Brunehaut Bio Blonde – Belgian Tripel
11. St. Peter’s Sorgham Beer – German Pilsner
12. New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale – Fruit Beer
13. New Grist Sorghum Beer by Lakefront – Fruit Beer
14. Daura by Estrella Damm – Lager

Courtesy of Christina Russell (@bodyrebooted)

Poison Control

Excluding an occasional glass of red or a beer, I have been completely chemical free since starting DDP Yoga. Until last night that is.

First a little background;

I am not a great sleeper, never have been. And since I started the DDP Yoga program, my energy is up and I sleep even less. 4 to 5 hours a night, max! Last night however, I added restlessness to my insomnia and I needed to just conk out in a bad way. So I took PM Motrin, waited for it to take effect and caught some ZzZzZ's. This seemed like a fantastic idea! Until this morning...

Today I feel lethargic, my energy is low and I can only attribute this to the PM meds from last night. This got me thinking, if something as "innocent" as PM Motrin can throw me for a massive loop, what the hell have I been poisoning myself with for the last 29 years? It's a frightening prospect to ponder. I've had about a dozen surgeries so pain pills, prescription or otherwise have been a part of my life. Add alcohol and fast food to the mix and no wonder I had so little clarity in my daily experiences. I am now so grateful for my decision to "live clean" and move forward with this happy and healthy lifestyle.